Shattered, Repaired, Renewed: Momma Comes Home
by The Third Biker Scholar
Summary: Limburger's plotting a terrible trap, one that could destroy everything they hold dear... continuation of Shattered, Repaired, Renewed.
1. Chapter 1

Alright, before we get on to the story, I've got some shameless plugging to do. You guys have got to go check out Sewer Slider's series, Vagabonds. Its a BMFM AU, but its so well written that you can't help but fall into it. Seriously, it rocks.

And, much love must go to KLCtheBookworm. Undeniably, the single best BMFM author on the site. She absolutely slams with her series, Wars Are Won by Those Who Dare. Long name, incredible story. Go check it out, you'll thank me for it.

Okay, on with the show.

This story is part of my Shattered, Repaired, Renewed story, a conitnuation of it. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own BMFM, or any characters from the show. Everyone else in this fic are of my own imagination. You can use them if you ask politely.

Chapter 1

Limburger glowered from his chair, only sitting up to throw another dart at his picture of the Biker Mice across the room. The shot landed clean between Vinnie's shoulders, making the Plutarkian grin at the mental image it invoked. But it was just that, mental. And not a single bit closer to his goal of eradicating those annoying rodents.

"There has to be a way," he muttered to himself. "That time I had the grey one under my control seemed to work best, but just his arm wasn't enough to keep him tame. I need more on him. Something he'd never be able to resist. " The fish nearly boiled his own brains thinking. "What does that pathetic mouse treasure? His bike? Uhg, no. No more Martian bikes in the building, we get too many of those as it is without inviting one in. His comrades? Again, no more Martians in the building than absolutely necessary. So then, what?! What could he possibly hold so dear that he would turn against his felonious friends?!"

A thought struck him. "Wait. Oh wait one moment here." A memory came of one of Karbunkle's ridiculously long reports on Martian species and their psychological biology. Something about the family bonds being particularly powerful in mice, to the point that they would be willing to die to protect each other. He shook his head in amazement, how stupid could those Martian mice be? But it would serve to his advantage in this case. All he needed was one of the wretched rodent's family, and the miserable mouse would be licking his boots.

Now who was available? There was that young punk that had broken into the prison camps to rescue that other Martian, Stoker. What had his name been? Ratchet? Ringworm? Rimfire, that was it. No, wait. He was stationed in the Martian resistance's base, too well guarded to be done within budget. And the brat caused almost as much collateral damage as a full grown Biker Mouse. Surely there was some other Martian they could use.

"Karbunkle!" The Plutarkian called.

"Yes, your over-ripe cheesiness?" the scientist replied from the vid-com.

"I have a new plan, dear doctor. A new and devastatingly effective way to get those pesky pests under our control indefinitely. Start looking through your old records," the fish ordered. "From your interesting little experiments in the labs on Mars. That grey mouse had some family go through your lab, did he not?"

"An excellent idea, you creaminess! Hmm, let's see." Karbunkle frowned as he typed into his computer. Thousands of references came up, far more than the demented doctor had thought. And none of them looked like a close genetic match. He scowled, Limburger wouldn't like this. "The Martians keep no last names," Karbunkle said to his listening superior. "If he had any biological relations, it will take me some time to track them down, your cheesiness."

"I don't care if it takes you a small eternity!" The alien shouted. "Any family of his you find are to be shipped here directly, by over-night mail. This plan will be simply marvelous. That wretched rodent will become my willing slave..."

&&&&&&

_A deserted ally bordering the city park....._

The dizzy mouse stumbled against the wall, shivering in the cold wind. She had no idea where she was. Metal and stone buildings of unfamiliar make surrounded her, with blue, actually blue, sky above. Trees like she had never seen lined part of the road. They reminded her of old movies she's seen, all from Earth. She shook her head to try and clear the blurry thoughts away. Could this be Earth? How had she gotten here? All she could remember were the mines of Sturgeon, Plutark's largest moon, being grabbed by the guards and taken to the ship yards. Everything after that was a hazy mess of images.

The harsh wind blew again, the tattered remains of her clothing not enough to keep her warm. Her fur was patchy in places, worn away by chains and scars, far too thin to give her any protection in the bitter cold. And her chest: gods, her chest felt like it had been split open. The female felt the world swirl beneath her feet, falling to the ground in unconscious sleep. A few minutes later, a ball rolled down the alleyway, a little girl chasing after it. It finally came to a stop, bouncing slightly off this side of the female mouse. The girl slowed as she saw the alien lying on the ground, slowly walking over to her. She saw the antennae, the ears, the fur, and she gasped in wonder. Ball forgotten, she ran back to the playground, calling for her friends to come see.

Two older boys and another girl came running to the alley, disbelief widening their eyes as they saw the alien. One of the boys whistled low. "Wow. And here I thought Megan was telling another big story."

"Kevin!" The other girl protested. "Megan's only four!"

"So?" Kevin muttered. "What now? We can't just leave her here."

"We can't take her back to the orphanage," the girl said. "The adults would freak out."

"Easy peasy, Jen," the other boy said with a cocky smile. "We get her to the back shed and call Miss Charley. She rolls with those other alien guys, she'll know what to do."

Jen stared incredulously. "And just how are we gonna get her there? Carry her?"

Kevin brushed back the alien's dirty white hair. "She's really thin, probably sick. Jen, I don't care how we do it, we can't leave her here. We can't let one of the Bikers' friends be hurt and not help!"

Jen nodded in agreement, thinking hard before looking at the other boy. "Billy, you still got that old go-kart?"

"It doesn't run anymore," Billy said in confusion.

"But it still rolls, right? We can load her up in there and push her to the orphanage," Jen said.

Kevin smiled in approval, making the young girl blush. "I'll help distract the adults so we can get her in. And somebody find Megan before she blabs everything!"

&&&&

_An hour later, at the Last Chance Garage_

Charley groaned softly as she heard the phone ring in the other room. _Why is it so hard to get stuff done around here? _She rolled out from under the truck she was working on and stretched a bit as she walked towards the office. "Hello, Last Chance Garage."

"Is this Miss Charley?" Came a child's voice.

"Yes, speaking," she said in some confusion. Why would a kid be calling?

"We need your help. One of your friends is here at the orphanage, real sick. You gotta come quick."

"Who is this?" She asked sternly. If this was some prank call-

"Kevin DiMacchio," the boy answered. "I'm here at the orphanage, please, you gotta come."

Charley's thoughts whirled. The mice were out confronting the latest villain; they couldn't be at the orphanage. This could be a trap. But what if it was Manuelo? Or Chef Andy? What if some other villain had taken over the orphanage and was forcing the kid to make the call? She came to a decision, grabbing her truck keys, Throttle's spare laser, and the first aid kit from under the table. "I'm on my way, where do I meet you?"

"Circle around back, behind the fence to the shed," he said. "We'll be ready to go."

Thirty minutes later, Charley pulled up to the alley behind the orphanage. She tucked the laser into the side band of her jeans as she came out of the cab, glancing around the area. Everything seemed alright so far.

A young boy with brown hair and wearing a Captain America t-shirt and jeans squeezed out from between two fence boards, hurrying over to her. "Miss Charley?"

"Kevin?" She asked, recognizing the voice from the phone. He nodded, taking her hand. "You gotta hurry"-

"Alright, what is going on"-

--"she's really sick."

"Why did you call me all the way out here--did you say 'she'?"

"Yeah. There's this lady with big ears and fur and a tail, its so cool, we found her in the alley all dirty and messed up. She's in a real bad way, you gotta help."

Charley was flabbergasted. "How--how did you know to call me?"

He shot her a look as he pulled his parka tighter around him. "I'm an orphan, not stupid. We know you and those bikers ain't just playing hero. Something's rotten in this city, and you guys are the only ones that seem to be doing anything about it. And there's a good chance that this lady is one of their friends, so me and my friends brought her in here." He motioned to the shed.

"What's wrong with her?" Charley asked, pulling out the first aid kit.

"She's really skinny, and she's got---I think they're burns on her skin. Er, fur. Whatever. She's calling for people that aren't there too," he said, holding open the boards so she could squeeze through.

"Sounds like she's got a fever if she hallucinating," Charley said. She scanned the yard and main building. "I know you didn't tell the staff about this so," she raised an eyebrow at him, "what exactly did you tell them?"

He smirked. "Hey, what they don't know won't hurt them."

"Good man," she said in approval. They made their way to the back shed, quickly shutting the door to keep the cold out. She gasped at what she saw. It was indeed a Martian mouse, an older lady with what looked to be white hair under all the dirt. Dozens of breaks in her fur showed white scar tissue. She was almost emaciated and shivering under several blankets. The kids had tried their best to keep her warm. A small teddy bear was tucked under the mouse's arm.

"Oh good lord," the mechanic breathed. She hurried over to the female's side, brushing aside the mane from her face to check her temperature. "She does have a fever. I need to get her back to my place." She looked back to Kevin and the girl beside him. "Can you guys run interference for me while I help her into the truck?"

"You bet. Don't worry, I'll keep that bunch of biddies so busy, they wouldn't notice Armageddon!" Kevin said, heading for the house. The girl stayed back and tentatively tugged at Charley's sleeve. "You're gonna take care of her, right?"

"I will," Charley said. "It's a promise." She gently reached around the mouse to help lift her, coaxing her to sit up. The Martian was very disoriented, smiling at the human with glassy eyes. Her voice was raspy when she spoke. "Nitra? Oh sweetheart, you look so lovely in blue."

Charley gave her a friendly smile. "Thank you. Here, do you think you can stand up? We're gonna take you to my home, okay? You'll be safe there." Charley slipped off her coat, sliding it on the thin female's frame. She helped the sick mouse to her feet, gently coaxing her to walk as the mechanic supported most of her weight. The mouse smiled dreamily, "Oh, Nitra, you're so kind. Have you seen your brother? He should be around here somewhere."

Jen came over and took her hand, "We haven't seen him yet, ma'am. Don't worry, we'll take care of you."

The mouse smiled down at the child. "Little Primer! You're getting so big."

The name Primer nearly made Charley stop in pure shock. She knew that name. "You know Primer and Rimfire?" She asked.

"My grand babies," the mouse said with obvious pride. She suddenly frowned in confusion. "Nitra, you don't know who your own babies are?"

Charley thought fast. "I'm sorry, its just been a busy day. Modo's supposed to have them today."

"Oh wonderful," the lady said, her voice starting to slur in fever. "He just loves...the kids...doesn't he..." She slumped against the human's side, unconscious. The little girl tried her best to help, holding open the fence boards as the duo made their way across the yard.

"Hurry," the girl whispered urgently, fidgeting in place as a huge crash came from inside the main building. Charley got through the crawlspace, whispering her thanks to the child for all her help. She glanced over her shoulder as the ruckus inside got louder. "Good lord, what did he do?"

"Knowing Kevin, it involves firecrackers," the girl said, a smile fighting to spread across her face.

Charley shook her head. "He sounds just like the bikers."

The girl's serious face split into a grin as she laughed out loud. "They're his heroes!"


	2. Chapter 2

Hello again!!! More shameless plugging here, this time for one of the most prolific and best romantic BMFM writers, Morning. She puts her own unique spin on things, and it always turns out great. And also for what must be the greatest Vinnie/OC pairing ever written, FairDrea. Her story 'Something to Live For.' Go read. You'll love it!

Thank you everyone that's reviewed, I really appreciate it. Hope you all enjoy! And this chapter is more about setting up Modo's back story and setting up for the action next chapter. Slow to build, but its worth it!

Disclaimer: I don't own BMFM, or any characters from the show. Everyone else in this fic are of my own imagination. You can use them if you ask politely.

Chapter 2

_Back at the Last Chance Garage_

It took some effort, but she managed to get the sick Mouse onto the couch. Charley privately thanked god that she had started stocking up on medical supplies. Due to various injuries the Martians had gotten over time, she had two ambulances worth of bandages, antiseptics, antibiotics, pain killers, suture kits, insta-cast packs, and even an IV set. The poor mouse needed a great deal of medical help, and the mechanic prayed she would be able to care for her properly until Modo could get there.

Two packs of fever reducer and pain killer had gone a long way to helping the female clear her head. She'd regained consciousness, but was still hazy about everything. She was coherent enough to understand that Charley was trying to help her, and didn't hesitate to do as she was asked. A long hot bath worked wonders, revealing short, whit,e curly hair, soft grey fur, and an angry red scar that divided her ribs. It seemed to be the most recent of her injuries, and it clearly pained the mouse to take a deep breath. Charley bandaged her as best she could,

the multitude of scars mostly healed already.

The girl got her some new clothing and helped lay her back down on the couch of the living room, covering her with blankets to keep her warm. She attached an IV with saline fluid to help with her dehydration and got her a quick meal of chicken soup. Fluids would be all the poor mouse could handle until she was stronger. The grey female gave Charley a blissful smile as she sank down into the cushions, quickly falling asleep.

Charley sat back on the coffee table, elbows on her knees. This mouse had to be a relative of Modo's, there was no doubt. But how had she gotten here? Could this all be some kind of elaborate trap? She shook her head to clear her thoughts; she had a call to make.

_Outside at the city's major industry park_

"Shades, Patch, Pretty-boy; you guys out there?"

Vinnie picked up the call on his helmet radio and absently tapped his communicator on. "Hey Wrench-lady, what's up?"

"I need to talk to Shades, can you put him on?"

An explosion sounded in the background as the white mouse talked. "Um, he's a little busy"-(KA-BOOM)-"nice one, bro! Good distance! He just launched Greasepit into orbit; the look on that goon's face is priceless!"

"How about Patch?"

BOOOMMM! "WHAAHOOOO!!! I love this job!! Yeah, I'll get him, one sec, babe. Hey Modo!! Charley wants you!"

Modo switched his com link on for the CB. "Hello, Charley ma'am, you needed somethin'?"

"How fast can you get to the garage?" He startled a bit at her worried tone. "I can be there in five, what's wrong?"

She paused a moment, wondering how she was going to explain all this. "Well, I've got a Martian mouse that some kids found at the orphanage here at the garage and sleeping on the couch. She's also got a fever."

"She's sick? What are her symptoms?" The mouse asked in concern.

"High fever, dizziness, and disorientation. She's thin, got some pretty serious scars on her, and one of them looks new enough to reopen. I've got her on an IV to help with any dehydration and I got her cleaned up, but I want you to take a look at her. You know way more about Martian biology than me."

"I'm on my way, I'll be there soon. Keep her warm and see if you can't get some hot soup in her," he said.

"Already have," she said. "See you soon, Wrench-lady out."

"Patch, out." He called over to the others, "You guys have got this, right bros?"

"Its just clean up, won't take long, why?" Throttle answered.

"Charley's got a sick mouse at the garage and she wants me to take a look at her," Modo replied, revving his bike to leave. Throttle stared at his bro, putting a hand on his bro's crank case to stop him from leaving. "A Martian?"

"Yeah."

"At the garage?"

"Yes," Modo said impatiently. "And she's sick, so can I go now?"

"There's another Martian mouse here on Earth and that doesn't strike you as big news?" The tan mouse asked incredulously.

"Oh yeah," Modo said sheepishly. "Probably should have asked about that."

"Vinnie! Finish up here and head for the garage," Throttle called.

"We got trouble?" Vinnie asked, aiming his bike's cannon at the last of the goon squad's buggies.

"When do we not?" The leader said flippantly, revving his bike and taking off with his other bro. They arrived at the garage a few minutes later, the metal doors rattling as they rose up to let the bikes roll in. Throttle yanked off his helmet before he'd even come to a full stop, dismounting and coming over to the living area. "Alright, what's up?"

Charley came over to meet them, directing them over to the couch. Both mice gasped at the sight, confirmation of another Martian on Earth. Modo immediately knelt down to get a good look at her. "Some kids found her out in the alley behind the orphanage. They got her inside without letting the staff know what was going on and called me."

"Why you?" Throttle said with a frown. "How did they know you knew anything about aliens?"

She grinned. "Lets just say, you're their heroes. They couldn't tell me how she got here. And she couldn't either, just that she was taken from the mines on Sturgeon."

Modo winced in sympathy. "No wonder she's in bad shape. But at least her fever's going down."

"She did say a few things that sounded"--Charley hesitated--"a little odd."

Throttle cocked an eyebrow at her choice of words. "Odd? Like what?"

Charley looked over to Modo. "Who's Nitra?"

Modo shot her a startled look. "Nitra's my older sister. Where'd you hear that name?"

Charley sat on the coffee table so that she was beside the grey male. "When I was taking care of her, she kept calling me Nitra. She called one of the orphans Primer too."

Both mice's eyes widened. "Primer?" Modo said hoarsely. "She knows Primer?"

"I don't know if she actually does or if she was just delusional, but she said she knew Rimfire too. That can't be a coincidence," the girl said. Their attention was drawn to the mouse as she stirred on the couch. Brown eyes opened slowly, blinking against the bright afternoon sunlight. The sight of so many strangers around made her flinch a moment, and she was hesitant to speak. "H-hello?"

Modo sat back to try and look less threatening. "Hello, ma'am. How ya feelin'? Anythin' hurtin' bad or achin'?"

"My chest, it feels so sore," she said, wincing as she tried to sit up. Charley and Modo assisted, placing cushions behind her. She smiled at the male, glancing over at the girl in some amazement. "You're a human, aren't you?"

"Yes ma'am," the girl said, smiling. "My name is Charlene Davidson, and welcome to my home."

"Well, knot my tail," the female said weakly. "That means I really am on Earth. Oh, forgive my manners, I'm afraid I'm not at my best right now. My name is Silva." She looked over at the two mice. "And your names are? What? Why are you staring at me?"

For both males were looking at her in complete surprise, mixed with hope. "Your name is Silva?" Throttle said slowly. She nodded. "Do you have any children?"

"Yes, two," she said warily. "Why do you want to know?"

A quiet voice suddenly spoke. "Momma?"

The female locked eyes with Modo. "What did you say?"

"Momma, its me. Modo," the grey mouse said, his voice trembling.

"Modo? You-you couldn't be..." She looked closely at the large male sitting in front of her. "Oh gods," she said in shaking wonder, "oh gods, my baby. My little boy! Modo!" They pulled each other into a fierce hug, their antennae glowing brightly as they touched to share memories and confirm that they were, indeed, kin. Their calls of joy made it abundantly clear that Silva was the real thing.

Charley got up to give the two mice privacy, Throttle following close behind into the kitchen. He pulled her into his arms, tucking his head into the crook of her shoulder. She tightened her hold on him as she felt him sigh. "I'm glad for them both. I've never seen Modo so happy." She pulled back so she could look her boyfriend in the eye. "You look tired. Are you okay, babe?"

"Yeah," he said softly, nuzzling into her hair and breathing in her scent. "Its just been a long day."

She smiled at him and kissed his cheek. "Want me to make you something?" She felt him laugh against her. "What?"

"You always do that," he said.

"What?" She repeated.

"Try to take care of me. Its nice. A little weird, but nice." _Carbine never did that._

"Get used to it," she said with a growing smile. "Like I said before mouse scout, you need a little spoiling. And I need to start dinner. Is Vinnie coming over?"

"Yeah, he should be here soon," Throttle said, leaning against the counter.

She cocked an eyebrow at him. "You know, dinner would go a lot faster with some help."

"So what take-out should we order?" He asked. At her look, he quickly revised his answer. "Er, what do you need me to do, babe?" She shot him a look, but couldn't help her smile as she told him what needed to be done. They worked well together, fixing dinner in short order. Although things would have gone a little faster if they didn't get side-tracked every few minutes with kissing.

Vinnie walked through the door an hour later. "So what'd I miss?"

"Plenty," Charley said as she set the table.

"Modo's momma is here," Throttle said.

Vinnie stared in surprise. "Silva's here? _The_ Silva? Are you serious?"

Throttle gestured to the door to the living room. "Seeing is believing, bro."

The white mouse shook his head, "I believe ya, but how did she get here? Its kinda long distance, ain't it?"

"She was brought here from Sturgeon," the leader said quietly. "Charley patched her up as best she could, but she's still in bad shape. Now Modo's taking care of her. We gotta get her healthy before we can get some answers out of her."

Vinnie winced in sympathy. "Bet that's a killer story."

"Nothing is coincidence," Charley said resolutely. "She was sent to Earth for a reason. I hate to be a killjoy, but you know its got to be some kind of trap."

"Hey now, maybe she actually escaped and just lucked out to crash here," Vinnie protested.

"If that's true, wouldn't we have heard something about a crash?" Throttle looked towards the living room, where a mother and son had just been reunited. "I know it sounds bad, but its got to be some kind of trap. And Silva and Modo are stuck in the middle of it."

During dinner, introductions were made all around. Both mice were in some awe to meet the famous 'Momma' that Modo had spoken so well of for so long. Charley was no different. However, Silva was delighted to meet her son's friends, and overjoyed to hear that Rimfire was alive. Sadly, she had no news on Primer, Nitra, or Ratchet, Nitra's husband.

Both Throttle and Vinnie were almost in tears laughing when Silva had thanked them for 'protecting her baby boy for all these years.' (Her 'baby boy' proceeded to wipe the floor with both of them in a wrestling match.)

Charley was startled when the lady had taken her hands and thanked her with all her heart for taking care of the three bikers for so long. She quietly said that it must be so hard to support not only yourself, but three soldiers. The girl had tried to brush it off as no big deal, but Silva would have none of it. The Mouse actually started scolding the now blushing trio about how they needed to take proper care of their friend.

Over the next three days, Modo only left his mother's side to use the bathroom. Charley even packed a bag of his stuff and brought it over from the scoreboard. His bros understood, having lost so many from their own family's, and took turns doing his shift on patrols. The grey mouse fussed over everything to do with Silva's health, much to her exasperation. But Silva did need the help. Her dehydration was resolved in a few days with the IVs, and she was drinking plenty of juice, milk, and some sweet tea at Vinnie's insistence. Her ribs were healing nicely, the Martian accelerated ability to heal astounding Charley over and over again.

It took more time than anyone liked for her to start putting some weight back on, but Charley's cooking did wonders for that. And fresh hoagie sandwiches and fries for lunch were brought over, courtesy of Chef Andy Steinhaur. He was delighted to meet the famous 'Momma' that Modo spoke of so often, and regaled the Martian lady with stories of her son's exploits. (He also seemed more than a little smitten with the female, much to Modo's consternation.)

Silva's strength came back quickly, and she was able to move around much better. Her fur grew back over the patchy places, hiding the scars. The lady and her son took the time to catch up on everything that had happened while they were apart. She kept her description about her time in the prisons short, knowing that it would only upset Modo, and would quickly turn the conversation to his life. She loved hearing about all his adventures with his bros, the racing on different worlds. How they had kept fighting the good fight no matter where in the universe they were, trying in their own way to help beat back the Plutarkians.

She told him that his father, Wheeler, would have been so proud. "Oh honey, you've traveled all over the stars, seen places and people that I can only imagine. And you have been true to what you believe in, and still are, despite the sorrows and horrors you have seen on your journey. Your father and I couldn't be prouder of you, my brave boy."

Modo pulled his mother into his arms, moved beyond words that he had made her proud. But in his heart, he still believed---"Aw Momma, I should have done more. Everyone"--he fought back a sob--"Primer and Nitra and Ratchet, the twins, cousin Chassie and Jack, everyone's gone. Those rotten stink fish pulled us apart, I should have done something. They even got you, took you to the prisons. I could barely keep Rimfire on Mars. And I couldn't even"--the sob broke out, choking the words in his throat--"I couldn't even protect...Auri..." He tucked his face into her shoulder, unable to stop his tears. "Some protector I turned out to be."

"Oh Modo," the mouse said softly. "That wasn't your fault. It wasn't anybody's fault, except those Plutarkians. Someday, when this war is over, we will find our clan and bring them all back together again. We'll search all the galaxies in the universe if we have to. And as for Auri," she paused a moment. That memory still hurt so much. "No one could have foreseen how dangerous her situation was. If she'd had any idea of how bad it was, you know she would never have gone with him."

"I should have gone with her," Modo said, the guilt almost crushing his voice. "She went out, all alone with that lying bastard, to try and help those kids. Why did I have to ride patrol that day?! I should have rode with her, it should have been me"--

"Don't you dare say that!" Silva snapped, pulling back to look her son in the eye. "She would have never wanted that! Auri loved you more than anyone, don't you ever say something like that!"

"I left my wife, alone, in the middle of a desert crawling with Raiders and that backstabbing Rat!" Modo cried. "Its my fault"--

"No," Silva said firmly, taking his face in her hands. "Now you listen to me and you listen good. She was with her father's clan; she had no reason to suspect that they would betray her. They lied to her to the very end. They lied to us all. She never thought her own brother would hurt her, let alone kill her," the older mouse said sadly.

"Because she loved a mouse," Modo said in sorrow. At Silva's look of confusion, he explained. "I tracked down Carn, I thought he'd be able to help me find, and he tells me that he killed her himself, for betraying her clan and falling in love with some dirty mouse. He only killed her because she loved me, Momma." Tears spilled from his eye, so much that it had soaked into the fur of his chest. "The sweetest, gentlest girl alive, and he killed her, Mama. Because of me. He killed my golden girl because of me! Oh gods, Auri..." He broke down completely, letting out emotions he hadn't been able to in a very long time.

Silva rocked her son in her arms, comforting him the only way she could. She felt her own tears fall as well, remembering the dear girl her boy had married. Auri had been a hybrid, born half mouse and half rat. Her mother had been raped by a rat, and her clan had wanted nothing to do with bad seed like her. When Auri's mother had been killed in the war, the girl's clan had no more reason to protect her, and had thrown her out. Silva had gladly taken the 11 year old girl in. A ghost of a smile touched her lips at the memory of how smitten Modo had been with her, from the moment he saw her. He had instantly taken up the role of her knight in shining armor, and Auri had loved him dearly for it.

When she had found members of her father's clan, the only clan of Rats allied with the Freedom Fighters, she had been overjoyed at her acceptance by them. They had openly welcomed her, claiming that she was the sister to the heir of the clan, her brother Carn. They had even danced at her wedding to Modo, fooling everyone with their perfect act. But they had proven to be false, betraying the Martian resistance by kidnapping over half the civilian population's children and selling them off to the Plutarkians.

After Carn had made the first move by killing his own sister. She had only been out with him because he had claimed that some orphans were too scared to trust him way out in the desert caves. He said that he needed her help to rescue them, since she was part Mouse they would be more likely to believe her. That poor girl had never seen it coming.

From behind the door, Charley barely managed to set the tray with lunch down on the floor without spilling it. She hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but right when she'd been about to call through the door for Modo to let her in, they had started talking about his family. The girl had heard everything. She felt tears build behind her eyes. Poor Modo. She'd had no idea he was a widower. This made his behavior make a bit more sense now. She'd always wondered why he hadn't once tried to find a girl here on Earth. He hadn't tried to find a girl for three years because he was still getting over Auri.

She knocked on the door and called a slightly quivering, "Lunch is ready." She left before they could open the door, figuring that if she saw either one of them right now, she would break down crying.


	3. Chapter 3

And the shameless plugging for this chapter goes to Mez! With her story 'Fine Brandy', the best Stoker/Charley pairing ever written. Along with the author Intrepidwarriors, any of her BMFM fics are fabulous. (She also writes Vinnie the best of any author I've seen. Perfectly catches his voice, mannerisms, and expressions. It was almost scary...)

Disclaimer: I don't own BMFM, or any characters from the show. Everyone else in this fic are of my own imagination. You can use them if you ask politely.

Chapter 3

When Silva was deemed near fully recovered, they had all had dinner together at the garage. Throttle, finally allowed to do some investigating by the slightly over-protective Modo, started by asking what she could remember right before she arrived on Earth. She had no explanation for why she was here. "I'm sorry, boys, but everything is a blur. I barely remember being taken onto the ship that took me from Sturgeon."

"Don't push it, Momma. I'm sure it'll come back to ya in time," Modo said.

"Are you sure?" Throttle pressed. "Anything, even scents or images?"

Silva frowned, concentrating hard. "I can remember this smell," she said. "Like antiseptic and rotten fish mixed together with really cheap cologne."

The three mice went still. They knew that scent. "Limburger Tower," Throttle said.

"Karbunkle's lab," Modo said, his eyes starting to glow in anger. "If that crazy excuse for a

scientist did anything to you, I'll take his arms off and beat him with them."

"Modo!" Silva said, shocked. "Mind your language at the dinner table." She signed in resignation. "Until I can remember more, I'm afraid I can't help any more than that. But there has to be more to it that just my being here. Someone went to a lot of trouble to send a Mouse from Sturgeon to Earth. Something has to be in it for them."

"So you think its a trap? Aww, man," Vinnie groused, his ears flattening. Damn it, he was starting to get attached to Silva, he didn't want to see anything happen to her.

"No doubt," the lady said flippantly. "But there's no sense in fussing over things you can't fix right now. Worry about it when the glitches show up."

"She's got a point," Throttle said. "So until we can get some more information, we just have to wait and see."

"Aw, man, I hate waiting," Vinnie pouted. More accurately, he hated feeling helpless. How could they protect Silva and bust some bad guys' heads if they didn't know whose heads to bust?!

Silva led the conversation to happier things, like some of the people they'd befriended on Earth. They told her about Jack McCyber, Manuelo, and Four-by. The lady Martian was amazed at how well some humans had adjusted to the idea of aliens. She then turned the subject to the human that had welcomed them the most, and looked ready to start fussing over Charley. "Dear, you work so hard everyday with your business. And you're so thin," she said to the girl. "Are you sure you get enough to eat? These boys aren't eating you out of house and home, are they?"

Charley startled a bit. "Are you kidding? I eat more now than I did when I lived alone."

"Oh? You lived alone?" she asked.

"Yeah, for a few years. I inherited the Last Chance when my uncle died," the human explained.

"I don't have any other relatives, so its just been me until these rowdy furballs showed up," she said with a grin. "It's never been the same since."

"My gracious. I bet they did liven things up a bit."

Charley laughed. "Oh, yeah."

"So Miss Charley"-

"Oh please, just Charley," she said. "I've been trying to get Modo to stop calling me ma'am for years now, I don't want you to have to be formal with me too."

"He still calls you ma'am? That's my boy. So, are you seeing anyone, Charley-dear?" Silva asked with a conspiratorial smile.

"Wha...what?" Charley said, completely thrown by the turn of the conversation.

"You have your own business, a lovely home, you're smart and kind and a real looker to boot. It seems a shame that a girl like you is still single," the lady mouse said. Oh, she knew the truth. She had seen the looks between her and Throttle, the touches that lasted a little too long, the way his voice dropped when he talked to her. They were in love something fierce, and thus deserved some good-natured teasing.

Charley flushed a bit, sending a look to Throttle. He still hadn't told his bros about their relationship yet, so she wasn't exactly sure what she wanted to say. "I--But--I--Silva, I do have someone."

Vinnie and Modo both started a bit, shooting looks to their tan furred leader. When he didn't comment, they glanced at each other in complete surprise. "When did this happen?" The white mouse asked.

"About two months ago," the girl said. _Oh boy, they're not gonna like this._

"Oh, what a wonderful thing, dear," Silva said, barely able to hide her grin.

"Two months?!" Vinnie said in utter shock. "You've been dating some guy for two months and we haven't even met him yet?!" He stared at the tan mouse, unable to believe he could take this so calmly. "Throttle, _say something_!"

"Is he human?" Silva interjected.

"Momma!" Modo said reproachfully.

"I know its her business, but I'm just curious," the lady said. "I mean, she has three fine upstanding mice right here"-

"And I'm dating one of them," the human said proudly. Oh, screw it. She'd caught the slight hint of mischief in her mouse's eyes, so he was fine with it.

Both grey and white bikers turned and looked at Throttle, who was conspicuously avoiding their eyes. But he couldn't help the smile pulling at his mouth. "Yeah, we're goin' out."

"Thank the gods," Vinnie said. "If she was two-timing ya, I would have been seriously upset."

"Hey!" The mechanic said indignantly, pulling out her fork like the deadly weapon it could be.

"Oh, come on, we know you two have been going out for while now," Vinnie said.

"How long?" Throttle said, surprised. It wasn't like they had really tried to keep it a secret, just discreet. If Limburger found out about this, he could try to use it against them.

"Since it started," Modo said matter-of-factly.

"We've got most of the Martian resistance rooting for you," Vinnie said gleefully. "Hell, Stoker's got the betting pool going about when you're gonna move in."

"What?!" the tan mouse said in complete shock.

"And just when were you gonna tell us about this, your own bros?" Modo said in mock-hurt.

"Didja think we'd try to lecture ya or somethin'?" Vinnie asked teasingly.

"I would hope so," Silva said. The only way to describe it was that she went mom-mode on Throttle. "Now you be sure to take good care of this young lady. She seems like a very fine girl, and you had best understand how lucky you are to have her. Its not everyday a girl that's a genius and a beauty comes along and falls in love with you."

"Yes ma'am," Throttle said, nodding. He meshed his fingers through hers. "Believe me, I know I've got a great girl here."

Charley gave his hand a squeeze, trying to hide the blush on her cheeks. "And I know I have the mouse for me."

Vinnie mimed gagging. Modo rolled his eye at his bro's antics, "We're happy for ya, bro. And Charley-ma'am, he gives ya any grief, you just come talk to me, okay?"

She laughed, "I promise, big guy."

&&&&&&&

The man stationed for surveillance on the Last Chance Garage called in his report to Limburger. "Yeah boss, everything's going just like you said. Tomorrow would be the day to strike."

"Very good. Remain there and make sure nothing arouses their suspicions," the alien said with a pleased voice. "Everything will finally come together, and those Biker Mice will be my new loyal lapdogs." His villainous laugh seemed to echo through the night as the goon turned off his radio.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own BMFM, or any characters from the show. Everyone else in this fic are of my own imagination. You can use them if you ask politely.

Chapter 4

The next day dawned bright and clear, a brisk wind blowing the winter clouds away leaving blue skies and sunshine. Silva had finally been deemed well enough to go outside for a ride with her son, eagerly wanting to explore the city. Modo had her bundled up in a thick wool green sweater, blue jacket, jeans, and a modified helmet that Charley had pieced together. A pair of her mother's old boots had fit perfectly, to Silva's delight.

Charley had been glad to go with them, a Sunday drive sounded great. Throttle and Vinnie would head out for quick patrol and meet up with them later on for lunch at Chef Andy's. The orphanage was the first stop, with the grateful lady giving hugs and kisses to the three kids that had been of such great help to her. Kevin, Jen, and Billy were ecstatic to see her up and walking, and she promised to come see them again as soon as she was able. The trio took her around the orphanage, telling her all about the mice's adventures there and how they would come over for the kids' birthdays and the holidays.

After that, Charley and Modo took her on a tour of the city, showing her the sights. When lunch came around, they headed over to Steinhaur's Diner. The group was escorted to a private booth that was just big enough for all of them and they could eat without worrying about their helmets. Andy was glad to have his favorite customers over, and to get better acquainted with the beautiful Martian lady. Charley glanced over to where the older man and mouse were chatting away at the counter and turned her gaze back to a pensive Modo. She wasn't sure how to take his look, if he was upset, worried, or angry about Andy flirting with his momma. She was about to ask, but Throttle beat her to it.

"Something wrong, big guy? You've been staring at them since they started talkin'," the tan mouse asked.

"Huh? No, nothin'," the grey mouse shrugged. The agitated coiling of his tail told a different story.

"Then take a picture of Andy and your mom, it'll last longer," Vinnie said carelessly.

Before the Martian could get angry at that comment, Charley reached over and touched his hand. "C'mon, Fuzzy, walk with me a little bit?" He was about to tell her no, but the look on her face stopped him. He nodded and they both headed outside. Throttle shot her a questioning look, she gave him a quick smile. The tan mouse nodded back with a smile of his own. What he couldn't ask Modo about as a bro, Charley could ask about because she was a girl.

Silva watched them go with confusion turning to trepidation as she understood that her son was upset. "I wonder what's wrong."

Andy touched her arm in reassurance. "I'm sure its nothing, Ms. Silva. But even if its not, my Charley-girl can take care of it."

She arched her eyebrows at him, "Your Charley-girl?"

He flushed a bit. "You see, I don't have any children of my own. Always wanted some, but I never could find the right lady to have them with. Charley, she's a good girl. I swear, she's the only girl I know that would take three aliens in and fix them up with a place to live and everything. They trust her, and I know that they tell her a lot of things they wouldn't tell another living soul. She'd never break their trust. Sweetest thing on two legs she is, and I do believe I would have dated her if I were a younger man. But alas," he sighed dramatically, making the lady chuckle, "I am not, and so I settled for being her annoying old uncle."

"Not so old," Silva said teasingly. "You've still got a few good years in you."

"And I think you do too," the male said with a grin as he leaned toward her. Silva couldn't help her blush. Gods, it had been years since a handsome male flirted with her, and she couldnt' help but appreciate the flattery.

Outside, Modo had walked over to Lil' Hoss and leaned against the seat, not meeting the girl's eyes. He frowned down at the ground like it had the answers to whatever problems he had and it just wasn't telling him. She came over and stood beside him, leaning her head on his arm before she spoke. "Thought you could use some fresh air. Feel better?"

He smiled ruefully, "Yeah, Charley-ma'am. How'd you know?"

"You _were_ looking at them kind of oddly," she said. "Does it bother you? That Silva and Andy are flirting?"

He shifted his weight and wouldnt' look at her. "What if she's just attracted to him because he's bein' nice to her? What if he's just playin' around and she thinks its serious?"

Charley looked up at him. "Silva's a grown woman, Modo. She knows how to take care of herself."

"I know! I just--I just worry about her, Charley," he said tiredly. "She's my Momma, I can't help but worry."

"I know, big guy, and all that means that you love her and want to protect her. But you can't defend her from everything that just _might _be bad. You have to trust that she knows what she's doing and how to handle it. And who knows? They might just end up being good friends or have a date or two. Would you be okay with that?"

He gave the idea some serious thought before he slowly nodded, "I think so. Andy's a good guy, he wouldn't do her wrong. Or I'd kill him."

"Hey, now, watch the death threats on my uncle," she said with a laugh.

"Chef Andy is your uncle?" Modo asked in surprise.

A sudden cry of pain from the end of the building made both of them sprint inside. Andy was supporting Silva, who was holding her chest with a fist pressed to her sternum. Vinnie and Throttle were moving things out of the way so that she had better access to the booth to sit down. Modo immediately rushed to her side, helping her over to the chair. "Momma! Momma, what happened?!"

Silva panted shallow breaths trying to answer. Andy shushed her to not talk until she had her breath back and replied, "We were just sitting there talking when she suddenly grabbed her chest and started gasping. She said it was a shooting pain near her heart, over and over."

Charley's eyes went wide at the description. "Boys I'm no medic, but it sounds like a heart attack."

Modo went white under his fur at that, kneeling in front of his mother to help support her better. Throttle and Vinnie both stood with fists clenched, hating the feeling of helplessness running through them. They had no idea how to treat something like this.

Andy set his jaw as he went back behind the bar, pulling out the first aid kit. "I know it's not much, but taking aspirin can help." He pulled out a bottle and shook out a few pills, handing them to Modo along with a glass of water. The older man took the lady mouse's hand as she swallowed the medicine. "You have to keep calm, alright, Silva? Slow breaths, it'll help ease your heart rate, alright, honey?" She nodded, trying her best to pace her breathing. He kept talking to her, helping to keep her calm as some of the medicine took effect.

The phone started to ring, the man ignoring it at first. But when the caller kept trying back, not leaving a message on the machine but just trying again and again, he reluctantly left the lady's side to get it. "Steinhaur's, can you call back?"

"Oh, I don't think this can wait," a familiar, ugly voice purred. "In fact, I think the matter quite pressing for a certain Martian female."

Andy's eyes went wide in shock before they narrowed in anger. "Limburger," he bit out.

Everyone looked up in surprise at the venomous tone he used. "You son of bitch, what do you want with Silva?!"

You could hear the smug grin in the oily voice as he spoke. "Oh its not really anything to do with the Martian lady, but she will be of remarkable service to me. A positively explosive performance is in order, with the female as the starring role."

Andy switched the phone over to speaker as he snapped out, "You're not making any sense, Limburger. What have you done?"

"I haven't done anything just yet, and if you and your furry friends want it to stay that way, they really will have to do as I command."

"Yeah right," Vinnie snorted. "Like we'd ever listen to you."

"Then you really should think about starting," came a wheezing nasal voice. "It might be detrimental to the Martian's health if you don't."

"Karbunkle," Throttle growled. "Should have known your slimy hands were all over this."

Modo's arms tightened around his mother. "If you try to lay one finger on my Momma"-

"Wha-(gasp)-what did you do...to me?" Silva panted. "The scar...on my chest. What did you do?"

"Allow me to give you a demonstration. A little turn of the dial on my controller and"--Silva suddenly gripped her chest again, crying out in pain--"an instant symphony."

"Stop it!!' Modo cried, as his mother whimper in pain. The pain faded out and Silva felt her entire body shaking in after-shocks.

"Its just a lovely little 1000-volt bursts to get your attention," Karbunkle said.

"Our attention?!" Vinnie shouted angrily. "That's just to get our attention?!"

"But that's not the full situation. All it is was a simple operation that implanted a device next to her cardiovascular muscle," the scientist said smugly. "Think of it as a rather volatile Pacemaker-slash-grenade."

Charley was the first to understand his odd explanation, piecing together the words of both villains into a grisly picture. She gasped in horror, "You...you sick bastard. How could you?! You put a bomb in her chest?!"

"How very astute of you, my dear Miss Davidson," Limburger said cheerfully.

Everyone turned to Silva in shock. This was the trap that they had been expecting, but nothing could have prepared them for them for something this diabolical. Throttle pulled on his helmet and activated its scanners, trying to see the device on the heat-sensors. He grimaced at the picture. "She's right. Some kind of machine is buried in her chest, right behind her ribs. From what I can see, its got several sensors attached to her bones. If we tried to get it out of her, it'll go off."

Modo's voice faded to almost nothing, "Momma?" _Oh please gods, let this be some horrible nightmare so we can wake up!_

"Don't--(pant)--listen to him," she said tightly. "No matter what he says, don't--_AHHH!!" _She screamed as the electric current arced through her. Charley and Modo braced her as best they could, trying to stop her from going into seizures.

"Now, now, my miscreant mice, don't get any heroic ideas," the Plutarkian scolded. "You'll be doing exactly as I say, or the female will die in a very messy manner."

"I will kill you," Modo said softly, his voice positively deadly. "I swear on my clan's true name, I will kill you if she dies."

"Oh but that will be entirely up to you," the alien said. "As long as you follow my orders, your beloved mother will remain unharmed. But if you disobey me, her blood will be on your hands. And on most of the walls as well."

The sound of crunching dry wall echoed in the room. Vinnie pulled his fist out of the debris, a murderous look on his face. "You're gonna pay for this, fish-face. We are gonna pound you dead."

"Just try to lay one felonious finger on me," Limburger said with an absurd amount of glee in his voice. "I do believe your grey-furred friend would object to that. Which brings me to your first assignment, biker Modo. You are to be my new body guard."


	5. Chapter 5

Hello!! Shameless plugging in this chapter goes to Acid Lee, the author of a very cool series of stories with hints of Charley/Throttle and a dose of Charley/Stoker. Go read. And Draka Dracula, killer stories, I swear. Go read them!! Thanks.

To everyone that's reviewed, thank you, most sincerely.

Disclaimer: NO own BMFM, or anythings else mentioned here.

Chapter 5

Modo went white around his mouth in anger, his jaw clenched so tight that it was amazing he didn't crack a tooth. "What?!"

"You shall be personally responsible for my safety at all times," the Plutarkian said gleefully. "Anything that happens to me will reflect rather badly on your esteemed mother. I want you here at the Tower in no less than twenty minutes. As for your annoying colleagues, have them report to the iron works factory outside of the city at eight o'clock sharp. I have a new shipment prepared for transport and I'd rather be sure that it was delivered this time. Don't be late, boys!"

The dial tone rang out dully in the room. Vinnie stalked over to the phone and slammed it back in the cradle, breaking it in half off the wall. "That rotten son of a bitch," he seethed. "He can't get away with this!"

"We'll get him, Vincent. But not now." Throttle glanced over to where Charley and Modo were helping Silva sit back up. "Right now, until we can figure a way out of this, we have to do what he says."

"No," the lady gasped, weakly holding onto her son's arm. "You can't. Please boys, you can't do this"-

"Momma, we got no choice," Modo said sadly. "We can't loose you."

Silva raised stricken brown eyes to her only son. "Modo, no"-

Charley put her arms around the older mouse. "It'll be alright. They'll find a way, you'll see. They always do." She looked to her bros, "Don't worry, Andy and I'll take care of her. Do what you have to do and let us know how we can help."

"Dammit," Vinnie said, his tail thrashing and twisting in anger. "This blows, this reeks, this sucks big time!!"

Andy held the door open for Modo as he carried his mother out to the man's truck. Charley grabbed her helmet and headed out to get her bike, intending to meet them at the garage.

Throttle couldn't look away from her as she went. Gods above, what if Karbunkle had done that to his Charley? If anything happened to her--Throttle forced the thought from his mind. He couldn't think about that now, he had to focus on finding a way out of this mess. There was no telling what Limburger might have them do to the citizens of Chicago.

A glance at his white-furred bro made him grimace at the agitation written all over his friend. Vinnie could do something really--stupid wasn't the word...careless, that worked better--if he didn't have some way to help. Throttle thought fast. "Hey, Vinnie, we got three hours 'til eight. Head over to the factory and scout it out. Don't mess with anything you find, just call it back in to me. If we can get the drop on Limburger's plans, we might be able to get around it without hurting Silva."

"You got it, bro." Vinnie pulled on his helmet and ran out the door, revving his bike as he got ready to go. He suddenly stopped as Modo rolled by on Lil' Hoss, a grim look on his face as he went to report for his new 'job.' Vinnie's jaw clenched at the sight. They would find a way and make that stinking fish pay for messing with his bro's Momma. The white mouse raced off towards the factory.

Throttle headed out the door and called his bike, mounting up and turning toward the Last Chance Garage. He'd see Silva and Charley safely home before heading out to see what he could do. The tan mouse's mind flashed through different plans. He would have to call on some of their friends, but if they could just get everything together, they might have a chance.

Silva was already upstairs resting when he got to the garage. Andy had headed back to close the diner but would be back soon. And as for Charley? She was sitting on the couch, her knees pulled up to her chest. Throttle went and sat beside her, pulling her close. She wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head over his heart. "You're gonna call Four-by?"

He startled a little bit. That was exactly what he was planning on. "Yeah, him and his crew. They might not have the lasers, but the guns and muscle should be enough to slow things down. At worst, we call the cops in."

She smiled. "You just hate that, don't you?"

"Calling the cops?"

"Yeah."

He grimaced. "They've been ignoring what's been going on in this city for so long, I doubt they'll even show."

"Maybe they're being paid off."

"It wouldn't surprise me."

"Reminds you of the Army on Mars?"

He found a smile as he joked, "You're starting to freak me out. Stop reading my mind."

"I'm not," she smiled back. "Just an educated guess."

They fell into silence. They didn't have much time before things started moving, and he hated every minute of it. He saw how pale his human girl looked and kissed her cheek, "You okay?"

She held him tightly as memories of her Uncle Ryan's death, a massive coronary heart attack, flashed through her mind. For a minute she had thought Silva was about to suffer the same fate, and it had shaken her badly. "Yeah, I'll be okay. You?"

"Yeah," he said. The thought of Karbunkle stealing her away and cutting her open shuddered through his mind and his arms unconsciously tightened around her. _Never. So help me gods, I will __kill __that bastard if he so much as breathes in her direction_. "Promise me you'll be careful, darlin'."

She looked at him in concern at his worried tone. "I will, fuzzy. I won't let anything happen to her."

He shook his head, "No, babe, promise me you won't let him get you too. One pretty lady in distress is bad enough."

"I promise I'll be careful." She kissed him to seal her word, putting her arms around his neck as his tail twined around her waist with his arms pulling her close to him. The kiss deepened, his rougher tongue stroking against hers enough to make her moan softly. That sound rang beautifully in his ears. Her warmth, her body, her sounds; all were proof that she was alive and safe here in his arms. "I love you, sweet Charley-girl."

He felt her smile against his mouth as her soft voice answered his words. "And I love you, Throttle. Always." The tan mouse felt a jolt of emotion shoot through him at her words. His hands slid along her sides as his tail lifted her onto his lap. She immediately moved to straddle him, both gasping at the pleasure the contact brought them. He pulled her down into a heated kiss, passion stirring in both of them. Things would have progressed further, but a call on the radio stopped them.

"Pretty-boy to Shades, come in. Mouse, where are you?!"

She groaned softly as his head fell forward onto her shoulder. He reached over for his helmet and clicked on the comm. "Shades here, what's up?"

"About time, bro! We got the usual goon squad out, transporter set up, and they're ready to go."

"Any major villains out?"

"Nah, just Karbunkle looking--happy." You could hear the shudder going through the white mouse at the thought of the demented scientist being happy.

"Alright then. Keep me posted if anything changes, I'll let you know what's up as soon as we're ready. Shades out."

"I'll be ready to roast some of those turkeys! Pretty-boy out." the comm clicked off.

Throttle pulled his girl tighter to him for one second, savoring the feeling of her in his arms, before he reluctantly let go as he got up. "I gotta get going, babe. It might take a while to get Four-by and his people in position."

"Radio me and I'll call the cops in," she said. A door slam from the kitchen announced Chef Andy's arrival. They called a quick greeting, the older man returning it before he headed upstairs to Silva's room. Charley found a smile. "He's got it bad for her."

"Really? I wouldn't have noticed," Throttle said in light sarcasm. He smiled at the thought. "A girl Martian and a boy human. I think she could bench-press his weight."

She bit her lip to stop the snarky comment coming. "Behave, Throttle."

"Do I have to?" he said in a mock whine. Both of them shared a laugh at that. He gave her a quick kiss. "Later, Charley-girl."

"Be careful, otaku," she said softly. Charley lowered her head as the garage doors rattled down, the roar of his bike's engine dying away. Of all the traps Limburger had set for them, this was the worst, and most likely to end in disaster. Man, what else could go wrong?

&&&&&&

She really should have known better than to ask that, she mentally berated herself a few hours later. She really should have. The Terran tried to soothe the irate Martian over the communicator. "Modo, big-guy, calm down! Now _slowly_tell me what happened to Lil' Hoss."

"That goggle-eyed freak, that's what happened to my darlin'!" the grey mouse ranted. "Said he didnt' want her actin' up like last time and then he--he--he used a _computer jack_, some _dirty hacker's program_, and made her _sick!_ She won't answer to me, I whistle and she just sits there like she can't hear me! She can barely start, and that's only if I do it manually. Manually!"

Charley winced. Anytime the mice had to do anything manually on their AI bikes, it meant something was seriously wrong. She interrupted his shouting, "Can she still move on her own?"

"I don't know, Charley-ma'am," Modo said, the anger in his voice falling to despair. "I can't get enough of her respondin' to figure it out." There was silence on his end for a moment before two very faint beeps sounded. "I can still get her to talk, but that's about it," he said sadly. "What is happenin' to my darlin', Charley-ma'am?"

She took a deep breath, not liking what she was about to say. "I think Karbunkle uploaded some kind of virus into her CPU. From what you're describing, its erasing her algorithmic patterns."

"Its erasing her what?"

"Algorithms are what's responsible for independent thought," Charley explained. "Basically its like brainwaves. Its what makes your bikes AI and not just complexly programmed. The virus erasing Lil' Hoss's algorithms would be the same as Alzheimer's disease eating away your mind."

"Oh, Momma," Modo said in horror. "Can you fix it?"

"I'd have to have her here to even properly diagnose what wrong with her," Charley said. She thought a moment. "Check her front console, look for a small green clip, okay?"

The mouse rummaged around a bit before answering, "Looks like a hair clip, right?"

"Right. Open the snap and extend the clip full out until its all a straight line. Then insert the small end into the jack you use for her upgrades."

He did as she asked, trusting her enough to follow her order blindly. But that didn't mean he wasn't curious. "I wondered what the heck it was doing on Lil' Hoss. Throttle figured you just left some of your hair stuff lyin' around. So what'll this thing do?" he asked.

"For a short time, it can act like an artificial AI for her. I came up with these the time that one villain, what's-his-name...Pulsar, that's it, used an electro-magnetic pulse to temporarily wipe the bikes' memories of you guys. It'll only last fifteen minutes, but that should be enough time for her to get to the garage," Charley said. "I can try and fix her as soon as she gets here."

Modo's happy voice rang out clear. "Charley-ma'am, you're a genius!"

"So I'm told," she said flippantly. "If Limburger or Karbunkle ask, say she just went crazy on you and you have no idea where she went."

"That way they can't say I'm trying to get out of my job and they won't take it out on Momma," Modo said in understanding. His voice dropped low in worry. "How's she holding up? Is she eating anything? How's her dehydration, you know how she is when she gets upset"--

"She's okay, big guy, Charley said softly. "I promised I would take care of her and that's exactly what I'm going to do. Have a little faith in me."

"I do, Charley, I do," Modo said gratefully. "Remind when this is all over to have a long talk with Momma, okay?"

"About what?"

"Um, just somethin' important, you know, family stuff," he said nervously. The bike revved loudly, exactly like her former self as the temporary program kicked in. "Now you hurry to Charley's, Lil' Hoss, and don't you get caught along the way." The bike honked indignantly at the very idea it would be so careless. A sudden crash of breaking glass sounded as the bike raced down the walls of Limburger Tower. "She's off and running, Charley."

"I'll be waiting on her," the mechanic said. "And you be careful, big bro, okay?"

There was a pause at the other end before the grey mouse spoke, his voice soft with an emotion she rarely heard him use. "I will. And you be careful too, lil' sister." The phone clicked off.


	6. Chapter 6

And the shameless plugging goes to London1 for her stories, a unique take on the BMFM universe. Very cool. And to Stormy1x2, for the story 'On the Flip Side', all about Charley and what goes on in her life. Funny and very good, even if unfinished.

Disclaimer: BMFM are not mine, nor anything else corporate owned that is mentioned here. Everyone else is MINE!! ALL MINE!! MWAH HA HA HA!!

...(blushes) sorry, too much caffeine...

Chapter 6

Twenty minutes. It took twenty minutes for the malfunctioning bike to make it back to the garage, its headlights barely flashing when Charley ran up to it in the street. She wheeled the large bike inside, immediately plugging in to run her diagnostic programs. What she saw made her heart sink. "Oh no, you poor girl." The mechanic had guessed right. Lil' Hoss's A.I. was being eaten away by the virus Karbunkle had created.

She set up firewalls around the remaining undamaged programming and got ready to do a manual shut down. If the virus had dug in too deep in the bike's A.I., she would have to reconstruct the entire CPU. The girl stroked the bike's crank case. "Don't worry, Hoss, I'll take care of you. Karbunkle won't get you, I promise". A light barely flickered and dimmed in response. Charley felt horrible as she shut the bike down and began pulling out the main boards. She knew the bike wasn't really alive, couldn't really feel pain. But Lil' Hoss loved her rider, that much was obvious. Anything capable of showing that powerful emotion was alive in Charley's book.

She sighed as she ran each piece through the computer, analyzing the virus's pattern of attack and destruction. It would take hours to clean out each programmed synapse-she paused a moment. Or she could fight fire with fire. Computer viruses normally deleted certain codes of information or switched them around to cause an error. But there were a few that actually inserted data to alter the outcome of some form of programming. If she could do such a thing with this...she could actually reverse what the virus had done, literally creating an anti-virus. She began to furiously work at her computer.

A few hours later, she sat back from her computer. The new virus had been created and uploaded into the Martian bike. All they could do now was wait for the results, for how long she had no idea. She sent up a prayer to whatever deity watched over A.I. bikes that her amateur work would be enough. Man, where was Jack McCyber when you needed him?

The sound of snoring from upstairs made her glance up and smile as she stretched from her chair. She had checked on Silva earlier, and Andy had been right there by her side the whole time. The older human had kept the lady smiling at his many stories about life on Earth, distracting her from the situation. Charley had pulled him off to the side and kissed his cheek in gratitude. He told the girl that he would be staying with the Martian woman until this crisis was over, if she didn't mind. In truth, Charley was glad for the company for Silva. Despite the horrible trap they were in, the mechanic still needed to finish her jobs for her business, and couldn't be with Silva as much as she would like.

A familiar engine's roar sounded from outside. She jumped from her chair and hurried over to the doors as they rattled open and the black bike rolled in. Throttle pulled out the kickstand and turned his bike off, but stayed sitting as she rolled the doors back down. Both hands were still clenched on the handlebars and his head was bent, unable to look her in the eyes.

Charley reached out and gently touched his arm, moving closer as his tensed muscles relaxed slightly. She slid her hand across his shoulders until her arm was wrapped around him in a loose embrace. He stayed still for a moment longer before he slowly wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him as he took off his helmet. She gave a soft kiss on his ear, "You alright, otaku?"

"Ask me that when this is over." The mouse leaned against her with his cheek against her side, a weariness pulling at him like he hadn't felt in a long time. "Karbunkle was there, just laughing the entire time until Four-by's boys showed up. They gave us a good fight, pushed the goons back from the steel, but then Karbunkle ordered us to get rid of them." His jaw clenched as he spoke. "We had to help them steal, Charley-girl. We had to shoot at them, our friends. Vinnie had to shoot out some fuel barrels to give them cover to escape before the cops showed up." He glanced at her with a small smirk that didn't reach his eyes. "How'd you get them to come?"

"My parole officer owed me a favor," she said.

"Must have been a huge favor." He suddenly jerked against her side as the words registered in his head. _Her parole officer_**-**-he leaned back from her, his jaw dropping. "What?!"

She started laughing. "Vinnie's right, you are positively priceless when you're shocked."

This time, his smile was genuine. "I've said it once, I'll say it again. You're not right."

"And again, thank you," she said laughingly. The girl tugged on his arm, pulling him towards the kitchen. "C'mon, I've got the milk heated up and the chocolate mix out. Finish the story for me?"

He nodded as he dismounted the bike and gave an absent pat of affection for it before he walked with his girl. He settled down at the counter and watched her as she moved about the kitchen. She honestly didn't seem mad about him helping Limburger. Granted, it was only done under extreme duress, so he supposed that went a long way for him. Carbine would have been trying to shoot him by now, regardless of the reason; previous experience had taught him that. But Charley was still treating him like her mate-

_Boyfriend_, he corrected himself sternly. She was still treating him like her _boyfriend_.

He cleared his head of such thoughts and continued his story about how the cops had actually stood their ground and managed to arrest several of the criminals. With no major villains present except Greasepit, the cops were able to clear most of the area. Karbunkle had ordered them to retreat when the humans got too close to where he was hiding. The only reason he had done that and not sent them out to get rid of the cops was that they had lost so many of the regular hired help that they couldn't afford to lose the mice now.

Limburger had been properly furious with the failed plot. Even with the mice working for him, he still couldn't get his way. Throttle raised worried eyes to Charley's own. "He didn't say anything about it, just kept eying Modo the whole time he talked. I thought big guy was about to twitch his tail off. Did he hurt Silva?"

Charley shook her head. "No, she's been fine, thank god." Both of them frowned, thinking the same thought. Not to question good fortune, but why hadn't Limburger made good on his threat? She spoke first, "The remote has a range, and she's out of it?"

"Limburger might be stupid enough to do that, but Karbunkle isn't," the tan mouse said. He shook his head as an ugly thought came to him, hoping he wasn't right. "But it might just be that he thinks its not as fun without Modo being able to see her suffer."

Charley shuddered at such cruelty. "God, I hope not. But what if--" her voice died away.

"What is it, Charley-girl?"

"He's holding out because he knows Silva can't last for much longer under this kind of stress," she said softly. "He knows he has to use it sparingly, or Silva will die. And then he'd have no way to control you."

It was Throttle's turn to shudder at that terrible thought. "That makes sense. But at least it means that Silva will stay alive."

"Thank God for small favors," Charley said. "So how's Modo doing?"

"After that, Modo nearly had a nervous breakdown, especially with his bike gone. I can't believe Karbunkle stooped so low as to sabotage his bike!" Throttle growled.

She startled a bit. "Modo didn't tell you?" She quickly explained what had happened to Lil' Hoss. If anything, the Martian was angrier at the news. He explained, "Charley, Martian A.I.'s take years to develop. Especially family heirlooms like Lil' Hoss. That virus is destroying the mind of something that's been learning for over a hundred years."

Her jaw dropped in surprise. Lil' Hoss looked only a few years old, proof of the love and care Modo's family had given her for so long. She felt her hackles go up again at the injustice of it all. "Let me at that lousy son of a glitch," she hissed. "I'll teach him some respect for a motorcycle!"

Throttle felt a surge of pride in his girl. Some people would never understand the bond he and his bros had with their bikes, but she did. "Easy there, slugger. When we go after that screwball, we all go together." He frowned a bit as he thought over her words. "Son of a 'glitch'?"

She flushed a bit and mumbled something under her breath low enough that even his ears couldn't pick it up. "What was that, darlin'?"

"I'm a Transformers fan, sue me," she groused. "I'd rather use glitch than the other word."

He smiled. "You're weird, but you're pretty."

She blushed. "So how did you get off fish duty? I figured they'd have you jumping through hoops all night for fun."

"Limburger didn't want me and my bros together for longer than a minute," he said grimly. "Divide and conquer, and all that jazz. Modo's still with fish-face and Vinnie's out scouting the next 'job.' Those rotten scumbags cut off our radio comms so I can't get in touch with either one of them. We'll be going into this next gig blind. And they sent me here to keep an eye on you."

She couldn't help her grin. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, I almost started laughing at him right there, but I didn't want him reaching for that remote." Throttle sighed wearily. "I'm tired, Charley-girl."

"You look it," she said softly. "C'mon, you need to sleep." She took his hand, kissing the knuckles as she pulled him up to her room.

&&&&&&&&

(Later that same night, Karbunkle's Lab)

Modo sighed from his spot on the cot. The mouse had pulled the simple bed from Karbunkle's lab and set it up in a small unused closet. Not exactly comfortable, but it kept him from feeling so exposed. He set both arms behind his head, thoughts spinning in his mind so much that he couldn't sleep. His eye closed, exhaustion pulling at him despite his worries.

_Is Momma okay? Limburger didn't say he was usin' that remote, but he could have been. Man, she can't take much more of this. She might be tough, but nobody can take shocks like that in the chest and be alright for very long. What am I gonna do?_ He felt tears build up and hid his face in the crook of his arm. _Oh, come on, I gotta be tougher than this. I have to keep strong for Momma._

But this was too much. His mother, brought back to him only to be the victim of a horrible trap. His faithful bike, her mind being slowly erased by that sick scientist's virus. His bros, forced to serve the very alien they hated the most so they could help him. The only other member of his clan was millions of miles away, in the middle of a terrible war that had devastated his entire planet. Modo was an optimistic person. He held onto the hope that someday they could make everything right again, the dream that they would have joyful days again. Now, with so much despair around him, it was just too much.

Tears spilled down his face and the grey mouse covered his mouth to muffle the sobs. Sleep would not come to him tonight.

*&*&*&*&*&*

Limburger scowled at paperwork on his desk. An entire shipment lost, and now an even bigger chunk of cash would have to be sent to his contacts in the Chicago police department to make them turn a blind eye to the evening's activities. And to top that all off, Karbunkle had just reported that the Martian female wasn't going to last much longer due to her advanced age and the stress the device caused on her system. At the rate that the Plutarkian would need to use the remote, the wretched rodent wouldn't last the week.

A grim smile suddenly stole across his features as he saw some of his employees unloading the crate that had just been transported into Karbunkle's lab from distant Plutark. He knew that those blasted bikers would somehow find a way to either save that old Martian or would put it out of its' misery. So he'd taken a pre-emptive move and sent for another of the grey Mouse's kin. Soon the old Mouse would be a forgotten splatter on the floor, and this new creature would take its place.

He grinned outright. This new Martian would last much longer, and would prolong his little game for months before he'd have to kill it to break those rodents' spirits. He found himself looking forward to seeing the hope die in the Martians' eyes as they saw another loved one explode in front of them.

_Its going to be a good year_, Limburger thought. _A very good year indeed_.


	7. Chapter 7

Hello everyone!! I got the greatest compliment ever a week ago. One of the authors that help inspire me to write BMFM fiction reviewed my story and said she liked it!!!! I was over the moon! I was headed to Mars to celebrate with the guys!

Shameless plugging for silverphyrbyrd and her story Brothers in Arms, very cool take on life before Chicago for our beloved Mice. And Ellen Brand for In Sickness, a very interesting one shot. Go read, you'll thank me!

Disclaimer: Mice, Mars, Plutark, all not mine. Damn it.

Chapter 7

Charley rolled out from under the car she was working on, wiping the sweat from her face. The old Volkswagen was a favorite customer of hers, always wanting some new upgrade or gizmo put in. But it would take more than that to cheer her up.

Throttle had left earlier that morning, trying to slip out without waking her. It hadn't worked, bless him for trying. She had caught the edge of his tail for a quick kiss goodbye, making him smile for a half second before he was gone without a word. The girl knew why he was being so quiet. This whole situation was getting to him, and badly. It was getting to everyone.

She had checked on Lil' Hoss after that. The anti-virus she had created was undoing much of the damage done by Karbunkle's program, but it was still uncertain if the bike would recover. As for Silva, Andy was still there with her. He had fixed breakfast for the two girls, although no one had much of an appetite. Especially after Silva heard what had been done to her beloved Lil' Hoss. He and the Martian lady had returned upstairs to rest. That had been a few hours ago.

A sudden ruckus from upstairs made her jerk around to face the landing. A shout of her name had her running to the guest room, praying that Limburger wasn't using the cruel device. Andy held open the door for the frantic girl, ushering her in. But what she saw was definitely not what she expected.

The older couple had been channel cruising and stopped on some kind of bike show. What was on screen though...Silva pointed to the screen, a terrified look on her face. "That's not supposed to happen," she said in trembling panic. "That is _**not**_ supposed to happen!"

Charley stared in horror at the television. She recognized what she was seeing, a huge charity motocross event in Las Vegas: The Sutterfeild Tournament, one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world, and broadcast live. The crowd was going wild as the winners were handed a huge gold trophy. Three young riders were standing proud in the winners' circle, all three with their helmets off.

All three were Martian Mice.

She recognized Rimfire and what looked to be the two other members of his training squad. A thin, solid black mouse with a denim jacket/jeans and a smaller red furred mouse with a camo vest and cargo pants were shouting and whooping in victory. Rimfire glanced up and saw the cameras, his grin faltering as he did a double take. He frantically started to put his helmet back on, his friends quickly recognizing what was going on, but the damage was already done.

Reporters shouted questions about them, their origins, their training, their sponsors.

Charley sat on the bed, the strength gone from her legs. "Oh god," she breathed, a hand pressed to her mouth. "They're here on Earth... In Las Vegas...not even a hundred miles from Area 51...and they're taking off their helmets?! I'll kill all three of them!!" She shouted in fury. "I thought Rimfire had better sense than that!!"

"Shouldn't we worry more about how to get them out of there?" Silva said, her voice strained with tension.

"NO! I mean, yes, we should. Aw man, I cannot believe those stupid kids," the woman groaned.

"How could they be so dumb?!" Andy said incredulously. "How're we supposed to get out there and rescue them with all this going on-hold up", he said suddenly. Five girls with various instruments in their hands had appeared on the stage with the Martians, an Asian girl coming forward.

"Now what is she up to?" Silva asked.

The black haired girl put a hand on Rimfire's shoulder, smiling at him reassuringly as she faced the dozens of mikes shoved in front of them. "Ladies and gentlemen, we apologize for the surprise our riders gave everyone here today. These very talented young men are some of riders the Swisslog Hotel and Casino have hired for their newest attraction, the Project M Bike and Stunt Show. The boys weren't supposed to show their costumes just yet, but I suppose the excitement of the tournament just got to them."

Rimfire gave her a small frown as the black furred mouse leaned toward the mikes. "Hey now, its not everyday we win a rally like this one. A guy's gotta show off a little bit," he said laughingly. "And you all loved it, right?!" The crowd cheered loudly, the mouse hamming it up with exaggerated bows. Rimfire and the red mouse exchanged looks and mimed kicking the other mouse off-stage, making the crowds laugh loudly.

The Asian girl smiled. "That's all for today, thank you to everyone that turned out today. Please enjoy the post-tournament entertainment." She gently pulled Rimfire's arm, the other girls forming a barrier between the Mice and the media as they led the trio off stage.

Silva, Andy, and Charley exchanged looks. They had no idea what to make of this. Were these girls friends or foes? Or worse, working for the American government? Charley shook her head. "You know, after we get through this mess with Limburger, figure out where those three are and go rescue them; I wouldn't be one of them for the world."

"Throttle's going to kill them?" Andy asked.

"Oh yes," the mechanic nodded. "Throttle is going to kill all three of them."

&&&&

Charley had gone back to work, knowing that with the situation as it was now, there was nothing they could do for the three rogue mice. There wasn't even a point in trying to tell her boys about it yet. The problems just seemed to keep coming, she mused, like rabbits left alone with each other. Engines rumbled outside the garage, whoops and shouts filling the air. Andy called down from Silva's room, "Charley-girl, we've got company of the nasty kind!"

Charley sent a quick look out the windows and flinched at the sight of Limburger's goons, half a dozen of them. Whatever they wanted here, they wouldn't get it. She had promised Modo she would protect his mother, and she never broke her word. "Uncle Andy, go to my room. By the nightstand I've got a steel bat. Head to Silva's room and don't come down unless you hear me screaming," Charley shouted over the engines' roars.

"Charlene"-

"Don't worry about me! I've got this covered!"

A pause, and then, "You be careful, Charley-darlin."

She went to the main garage, quickly rifling through her tool boxes until she found it. The girl grunted a bit as she pulled out the tool she wanted, 38 inches of old steel that easily weighed fifty pounds. It was a crank-ratchet, the kind originally used on trains at the turn of the century, a family heirloom that had been passed down for years, and it had served the Davidson's well. As both a tool and a powerful weapon.

The mechanic set the grip in her hand, slowly spinning the large ratchet. It clicked loudly a few times and then began to smooth out, the gears shifting easily. She found herself smiling, the adrenaline beginning to pump through her veins in anticipation. She heard the shots of laser fire and spun around to the metal garage doors that were slowly melting under the weapon fire. "Don't you boys know how to knock?"

"Aw, now what fun is that?" A bald man with a shades and black leather vest asked as he and five other men stepped over the melted aluminum. He grinned evilly at her. "We're here for the old mouse. Be a good girl and go get her for us, yeah?"

"She's not in right now, but I'd be happy to take a message," Charley said cheerfully. She hefted the crank-ratchet up to her shoulder. "Care to leave one?"

"Lady, don't make us rough you up to get the rodent", another thug said. "Get her down here or we'll see how many bones we can break on you."

Charley shifted and dropped the handle-grip down into her palm, beginning to spin the ratchet. "I'm sorry, but we no longer accept calls from Limburger or any of his associates."

"Bitch, I said get that filthy rat down here," the bald man said menacingly.

"If you care to try again, please dial 1-800-screw-you," she said harshly, spinning the ratchet as hard as she could twice more before lunging forward and swinging it hard. It connected with the bald goon's chest, sending him flying across the room. She used the recoil as she spun around, knocking another thug across the jaw. He went sailing out the melted doors, completely knocked out. She kept the ratchet spinning as she faced the other four men. "Anyone else want to call her a rat?"

They eyed her warily for a second before the bald man staggered to his feet, one hand clutching his chest. "She's just one woman! Rush her!!"

The four charged forward. The ratchet whirled, slamming into the face of one thug as she spun, kicking out her leg and sending another man staggering back. The tool swung down from the blow, and the girl flipped a quick cartwheel to keep the momentum going. She flipped again into an upward spinning heel kick, catching the bald man under his jaw. This time he went down and stayed down.

A sudden racket from the back room sounded before a purple Fatboy revved loudly. Charley

couldn't help her happy shout, "Lil' Hoss!! Good to have you back, girl!" She dodged a right cross from another thug. "I could use a little help here!" Right then, a goon punched her hard in jaw and she cried out in pain as she was pushed back.

The back wall exploded out, the purple bike charging with all guns firing. Two thugs immediately made for the exit as they saw the deadly bike come to life. "I thought the doc took out that damn thing for good!" one of the punks cried as it started shooting after them.

"Shut up and run!" The other shouted.

The last one crouched low to keep out of its sights. He was between a crazy bike and a pissed off mechanic, and the latter seemed his best option to get past to the door. The thug tried to charge her, hoping to sweep her far enough aside to get past the bike. The moment the impact hit, he knew he'd made a bad move. She rolled backwards, flipping them both over and landing right on top of him. The crank-ratchet sung dangerously close to his face as she got up. "You're getting on my nerves, pal, so you better make this short and sweet. What did your boss want with Silva?"

"H-He just wanted her back at the tower," the man said warily as he eyed the large tool. "Said something about switching out to some other rat"---the handle clicked ominously---"some other mouse they've got at the lab."

"What other mouse?" She snapped.

"I-I don't know!! They just got in this shipment from Plutark and this furry chick was strapped down on a stretcher. Karbunkle looked happy to see her." The man shuddered in revulsion. He'd seen some of what that freak did in his spare time. It wasn't a pretty site.

&&&&&&

Engines roared to life outside the garage as the bald man readied the weapons of his buggy. "She thinks she can just start wailin' into my guys, huh? Bitch has got another thing comin'," he snarled. He opened fire on the building.

&&&&&&

Charley had just finished tying the three goons up when the attack came. She stumbled back as laser shots bit into the concrete walls, rocking the garage to its foundations. "Andy, Silva, get down here!" She shouted. A muffled yell was her answer. "You've gotta clear out of here, if the supports go, so do you!"

Andy and Silva made it to the stairs just as Lil' Hoss forced her way outside, returning fire with a vengeance. Charley went up to help the couple, another shot shaking the stairs badly. "Are you two okay?"

"Been better," he said grimly.

"Much better," Silva agreed, leaning on his shoulder for support. Suddenly she tensed and cried out in pain. Both humans reached to support her as the spasm went through her. "Damn him," Andy spat, "off all times, he picks now!"

They got her to the couch, doing their best to stabilize her as the lasers kept shooting. A sudden lull in the noise made Charley look outside to see Lil' Hoss giving enough cover fire to keep the men at bay for the time being. She got the first aid kit as Andy helped the lady sit up. "Silva, you stay with us, alright? Your son would go ballistic if anything happened to you," the man said.

"You have to stay awake."

"I...I know," she said tiredly. "But its getting so hard..."

"Life is hard," he said sternly. "From the moment you're born, its hard and it doesn't get any easier. You haven't survived all this time just to let the fishes get you now."

She found a smile. "You'd have been-(gasp)-a good drill sergeant."

He smiled back. "Vietnam. I _was_ a drill sergeant."

"Ever thought about---relocating to Mars? We could use a few good men"---she cried out, her hand pressing against her chest as her other curled around his for strength. He kept hold of her, whispering encouragement in her ear as Charley ran back into the room. The girl set out the large kit, setting the things they didn't need aside when she suddenly paused. Andy reached for the aspirin packs, the grateful mouse swallowing them from his hand dry.

Charley stared at the case beside the first aid kit, an idea forming. Dangerous ideas were her forte, but this one could go so wrong so badly and so quickly that she was reluctant to speak. "Silva?" Charley said softly. "Do you gamble much?" Both frowned at her in confusion, holding onto each other as another blast rocked the garage. Plaster shook down from the ceiling, making the girl cough. "I can't get rid of the bomb, but I can neutralize it-(cough)-I think."

Silva fought for breath for a moment. "If you---can get this madness to stop, do so!"

"Its dangerous!" Charley said. "Just trying this could kill you by itself! At least with the bomb"-

"She'll die anyway, Andy said grimly. "Karbunkle won't stop, you know that. And if the bomb doesn't kill her, the strain will." The mouse nodded. "I'd rather go out trying," she said. "I won't embarrass my clan by being a coward after everything the universe has thrown at me." Andy squeezed her hand.

"Alright," she said as another explosion made the building shake, reaching for the defibrillator. "Let's roll the dice."


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own BMFM, or any characters from the show. Everyone else in this fic are of my own imagination. You can use them if you ask politely.

Chapter 8

Sudden screeching radio static made every listener on Limburger's radio channel flinch or nearly wreck. Explosions sounded like booming crackles, shots and laser fire echoed dully as something truly epic went on wherever the mike was. But it was the sound of familiar voices screaming that made three of the listeners nearly sick.

"Silva!!" Charley called out.

"Don't you leave us now!" Andy shouted.

"Come on, Silva, pull through this, I know you can!!"

Modo froze from his position in Limburger's office, the Plutarkian pausing with a confused frown. The alien turned up the volume of his speaker to hear it better. The two humans called and pleaded with the Martian to keep fighting and hold on. The background was filled with the sound of laser fire.

"_Do you have any idea how mad your son will be if you die?!_C'mon, a little longer, please Silva!! We're almost there!"

"Keep looking at me, girl, don't you look away," Andy said sternly. "Focus woman!! Keep breathing, in and out, in and out, just like that. You're gonna be okay, doll---oh no."

"SILVA!!" Charley's voice cried. "_SILVA, NO!!"_

A huge explosion suddenly cut off all sound, the line going completely dead. Oh well, it appeared that retrieval of the incapacitated mouse was too much for his moronic miscreants. Limburger frowned at the speaker. He hadn't even been using the remote. "Hmm," the fish said. "Perhaps those other two mice were being too stubborn for Karbunkle and he had used it. All the same, going so far as to kill the wretched thing was a bit much when we haven't finished preparing"-

A brilliant red glow was all the warning the Plutarkian got before he was grabbed by the furious mouse. Limburger belated remembered that the 'wretched thing' had been all that saved him from the Martian's wrath. A solid punch shattered the alien's jaw, making him swallow most of his teeth. Modo slammed him back against the wall, punching his way down and breaking, three, four, six ribs. The mouse didn't even hear the Plutarkian's screams as he pummeled the one responsible for his mother's death.

"You rotten piece of filth," Modo snarled. "You destroyed my home, ravaged my world. Now you killed my Momma. I hope you burn in Hell!!" Modo gave one mighty heave and threw the alien out the window.

A truck passing by the plaza caught the Plutarkian, breaking his fall. The dazed fish managed to mumble out, "Saved by providence." The yowls and hissing of dozens on dozens of cats made him think otherwise. He glanced around and saw several cages had been knocked open by his fall. Sweat appeared through his mask as he said in trembling fright to the angry felines, "C-Could I offer any of you some...cream cheese?"

Muffled screaming and screeching could be heard as the truck puttered down the road to the pet shop.

&&&&&&&&&&

Modo had quickly stolen a buggy from a thoroughly cowed gang banger after that and made his way out to where Vinnie had been posted. The warehouse along the docks was in flames along with most of the stolen goods that Limburger had been trying to sell off. The angry white mouse had used his flares and laser pistol to great effect to show his incredible fury with Karbunkle and his crew for the loss of his bro's Momma.

A quick scan on Vinnie's radar had shown Throttle's bike racing away from the Pits, breaking every known traffic law to get to the garage.

Throttle couldn't remember the last time his heart had pounded so hard. He barely noticed when his bros joined up with him on the road to the garage. All he could think was that he had to get to Charley. Their radios were still scrambled and he couldn't get any signal through, no way to tell what they were about to walk into. Why had there been explosions? What the hell had been going on?!

The moment the garage came into view, they knew it was bad. The walls were still smoking from laser shots, gaping holes where solid stone used to be. One of Limburger's buggies had plowed into the wall and collapsed most of the garage bay, and part of the upstairs had completely caved in. Their bikes screeched to a stop and the mice raced over to the debris.

"Charley!" Throttle called, forcing his way inside.

"Chef Andy?!" Vinnie shouted worriedly. He turned back, seeing Modo just standing there. The grey mouse looked lost, unwilling to take another step forward to see what he knew he'd find. Vinnie felt a hard pain in his chest to see his bro looking so hopeless. "Aw man, bro, I..." _I wish I knew what to say._ "You know we'll get that fish for her, right?"

Modo bowed his head, tears streaking through the fur of his face. He stared at the drying streaks of green on his knuckles, absently wiping Limburger's blood off on his pants. "Is it ever gonna be enough?" he said despairingly. "All we do is fight and it never ends, bro. The pain they cause, it just never ends."

Vinnie went still as he remembered his own clan: his parents, aunts and uncles, cousins. Nearly all of them gone in a single night of fire and horror. "I know," he said. "Just...bro, all you can do is keep going, or they win, you know? If you give up, then what would your clan say when you see them again? So you do what would make 'em proud, what'd make them smile at you. It's all you can do."

Modo's jaw dropped in surprise at his younger bro's unexpected wisdom. He gave a small smile that didn't quite reach his eye and both headed into the garage. They found Throttle frantically clearing debris from in front of the basement door, where they could faintly hear voices calling. Both mice rushed to help, shoving cinder blocks and beams aside. Finally it was clear and the door opened to the most unexpected sight they could have imagined.

Andy was supporting a much weakened Silva, carefully walking her up the stairs. Modo made a sound of incredulous joy, reaching forward and pulling her into the hardest embrace he thought her body could stand. Andy stepped around them with a grin as he shook the hands of the two other mice. "It's good to see you boys."

"How?" Vinnie said dazedly. "We heard her---I mean, I thought I heard---Wha-what?"

The human beamed. "It was all Charley's idea. She used the defibrillator to short out the bomb!"

"She did what?" Modo said in confusion.

"The electric charge from the defibrillator," Throttle said, a proud smile tugging at his mouth as he realized what she'd done. At Vinnie and Modo's confused looks, he mimed holding two electric paddles, "Clear!"

"Like ER!" Vinnie said.

The tan mouse nodded. "The electricity messed with the wiring, shutting it down with an overload."

"How did you know it was over?" the human asked. "Our radio's buried under all that rubble."

"Heard it on Limburger's channel," Vinnie said. He glanced over to where a damaged helmet had nearly been buried in the debris. He kicked it out the door, "This one's mike must have turned on in the fight, or something."

"Why were they here? Throttle asked. "What did they want?"

Andy shook his head, "Limburger wanted Silva back at the Tower. Charley objected."

"Momma, you okay?" Modo said worriedly.

"Tired," she said drowsily. "Nothing a few weeks worth of sleep can't fix." She leaned against him, her strength nearly gone. "But I think I'll have to bunk at the scoreboard. Poor Charley, her home is gone."

"Where is Charley?" Throttle said worriedly.

Andy and Silva froze. "She's not with you?"

"You had her last," Throttle said with a frown.

"Oh my god," Andy said in panic, "we thought for sure you would have seen her before she got too far. You have to find her! You have to stop her!"

"What happened?" Throttle asked.

"She said something about another mouse in Karbunkle's lab," Silva said. "She took off on Lil' Hoss"-

"Hoss is okay?!" Modo said happily.

"Another mouse?!" Throttle said in horror. This nightmare can start all over again?!

"I thought for sure one of you would have seen her," the lady said frantically. "She's gone to the Tower with no backup! Even Lil' Hoss can't handle the defenses by herself!

"She didn't even tell us," Vinnie said indignantly. "If she's going off to have fun she could at least let us in on it!"

Throttle resisted the urge to strangle his friend. "We're gone. Modo, get on with me; we've got to get to the Tower. Lets Rock"-

"And Ride!" They shouted, heading off to save their girl.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own BMFM, or any characters from the show. Everyone else in this fic are of my own imagination. You can use them if you ask politely.

I also don't own The Animals song 'House of the Rising Sun', or Franz Ferdinand's 'This Fire', and the lyrics are used without permission.

Chapter 9

Plumes of smoke were rising from the Tower plaza as they came within sight of the building. The turret cannons were smoking from use, and they could smell the asphalt burning from three blocks away. Purple smoke was pouring out of the upper windows and several were broken. Throttle felt his insides twist in apprehension. His girl had rode in a on a bike, alone, into all of that. If they found her alive, he was going to kill her for making him worry.

They heard Charley before they saw her. Laser shots and screaming tires announced her arrival nearly a block away. Throttle gunned his bike hard to reach her, Modo readying his arm to fire as Vinnie pulled out his laser pistol. Lil' Hoss beeped a frantic greeting as she raced down the street as fast as she could go, the two riders on her barely holding on. Five buggies were in hot pursuit, guns blasting away.

Vinnie and Modo immediately returned fire, forcing the buggies to scatter. One was driven straight into an abandoned building while the other four tried to get around the mice. Throttle shot out the tires on a red one, sending it careening into a light pole. The Martians did a quick u-turn, coming back around to try and shield Lil' Hoss. Two buggies shot by them, trying to capture the girls with a net stretched between them. Modo was having none of it as Throttle poured on the speed, getting ahead just far enough that when Modo spread his arms and Throttle braked, he clothes-lined both goons right off their buggies.

Vinnie chased after the last one, trying to force it away from the girls. They traded shots as Modo and Throttle caught up, grinning happily at the now terrified thugs. They finally broke off and headed back to the Tower, giving up on the chase. Lil' Hoss slowed down considerably as the fight ended, worried beeps and trills sounding as both girls slumped in the seat. She rolled to a stop just as both slid off to the ground.

Modo was off Throttle's bike in a flash, racing over to them to check their injuries. Throttle and Vinnie were a step behind, their bikes turning outward to protect their riders from any further attacks. Modo glanced over Charley, who'd given her helmet to the mouse to help protect her. The mouse was small with short cream colored fur. Her clothing was thin and faded, with small holes and tears where the laser bolts had singed through. That she was so still made him worry for her more than the mechanic: at least Charley was still awake.

Throttle immediately took Charley into his arms, thanking every deity listening that she hadn't been shot. She was barely awake, but breathing fine. A few small laser burns and cuts showed on her arms and legs, none of them serious. The only injury that worried him was the bruise growing darker on her jaw, and that she was so slow to respond to him. "Charley? C'mon Charley-girl, open your eyes," he called softly.

Charley blinked slowly, her aqua eyes glazed and unfocused. "Thrrrottllle?" her voice slurred. "Arrrre we out of the Toowwwer?"

"Yeah, you're out," he said. "Its okay, babe, you're safe."

"The"--it felt like her brain was trying to work through thick molasses--"the girl, ish shhhe okay?" Charley asked slowly.

He glanced over at Modo, who was still checking over the new mouse. The grey mouse looked up at his leader. "I can't give an all clear until I get the helmet off, but for the most part she's okay. What happened to you two?"

The human tried to remember. The Tower, the smoke, the lasers, a table with this poor shivering mouse--(funny looking mouse, never seen one with a muzzle like that)--more smoke, busting out the wall. "There wasss...purple smoooke...I gave herrr my helmet...sssshe was cho-king on the smoke..." her eyes drifted closed as her voice slurred further. "Hosssss wa' real-ly mad. Made a biiiiig holy..." She suddenly switched over to singing as a silly smile spread on her face, "Ooh, there izzz a house, in New Orl-eans...they ca-hole the rizin' sun..."

Throttle couldn't help his smile as she lapsed into a very drunken rendition of The Animals most famous song. "Must have been some new kind of knock out gas," he said. The mouse took her over to his bike, sitting her in front of him and winding his tail around her waist.

"Whatever it is, it sure is bringing out a whole new side of Charley," Vinnie said with a grin. "I didn't know she could sing. Hey, see if she takes requests!"

"Vinnie," Throttle warned, unconsciously tightening his hold on her.

"Shuuure, baby-boy, I'll request yash," she said, unable to stop slurring. "Wot'cher pleasure?"

Vinnie thought a second. "How about"-

"Charley, how did you get this helmet on her?" Modo asked. "I can't get it off."

Throttle stroked the side of her face to help her try to focus. "Charley-girl? How did you get your helmet on her?"

"The clicker," she giggled, "you gots to sssmack it."

Modo frowned in confusion. "Clicker?" He lifted the head of the dazed mouse and found a small snap on the back of the helmet. "Oh, clicker." He gave it a quick flick and the helmet partially opened down a seam in the shell. He gently pulled it off the poor mouse's head, catching her in the palm of his flesh hand. The grey mouse took in the features of the lady and froze. The helmet dropped from his metal hand in shock.

"It can't be."

Her muzzle was a little longer than a normal mouse's, her buck teeth shorter and her canines slightly longer. Her ears were smaller and set further back than a mouse's, and her fur was slightly coarser. Even her tail was different, the fur like suede instead of velvet, and her antennae were shorter and thinner than normal.

"H-He said he killed you."

Blond hair had been cut short into a bob, and she looked fairly underweight. A wicked looking scar circled her entire neck, like something had been wrapped around her throat tight enough to cut into her flesh. But that face. Modo's hand trembled as he laid her on the ground, cupping her cheek as he titled her head to look at her left ear. There hung a single silver hoop, engraved with the Martian symbol for eternity. He had once worn the match to that earring, years ago. A pair of antiques passed down through his family, the equivalent of human wedding rings. When his mate had died, he'd laced it through a chain and worn it over his heart, protected by his chest armor.

"You're alive?"

The lady stirred from the warmth of his hand, eyes slowly blinking open. And there was his proof, undeniable and true. Her eyes were the color of warm amber, the same color as the eyes of the only girl he had ever loved.

"Auri?"

Vinnie heard the unbelievable name from his bro, whipping around from Throttle to face them. He cautiously walked over to the mice, wondering if maybe his bro hadn't cracked from all the stress. But a good look at the girl made Vincent gasp in shock. "Holy Kysha," he breathed. "Auri? Is that really you?"

The girl tiredly rubbed her eyes, glancing around as she sat up. She caught sight of Vinnie, her eyes going wide in surprise as a small smile spread on her face. She mouthed his name, waving happily.

"Auri?"

She froze in place then slowly turned at the sound of a voice she had longed to hear for years. She silently gasped at the sight of the large male. This was a hardened soldier, someone that had obviously seen dozens of battles. He was positively frightening to see with such terrible war scars. But the look on his face told her who this male was. Only one person in the universe had ever looked at her like that, like she was the most beautiful woman ever concieved; her beloved mate.

Modo flinched as he realized just what she was seeing. A missing arm that had been replaced by a machine. A missing eye. He turned his face from her, suddenly ashamed at his body. A small hand reached out and touched his face, raising his eye to meet her gaze. She ran her fingers across his face, touching the patch that covered his eye. She couldn't help her sorrow at her mate's pain and tears began to fall.

Vinnie backed away to give the couple some much needed space, getting on his bike. Throttle held his girl to his chest, keeping quiet. He couldn't' believe it. Auri, alive? How was that possible? The sound of sirens in the distance made him twitch. "Don't mean to interrupt the reunion, big guy, but we need to move this somewhere else."

Both mice startled at that. He quickly stood and offered his hand to his mate that she gratefully took. Lil' Hoss beeped and flashed her light happily as her rider mounted up, Auri sitting behind him as she patted the bike affectionately. Their tails wrapped around each others waists in a familiar gesture, one that made tears come to both their eyes.

_There's only so much mush a Biker Mouse can take_, Vinnie decided. "So where are we

headed?" Vinnie asked. "The Garage is completely trashed, and we don't have anything but a lousy kit at the scoreboard."

"The garage for supplies and to pick up Silva and Andy," Throttle said. "They can't stay there."

Auri perked up from her spot on Lil' Hoss as the bikes headed off. Modo nodded, "Yeah, Momma's here. You wouldn't believe how that happened. Um, its been a little crazy lately."

"More like business as usual," Vinnie smirked. "Dangerous missions, destruction of property"-

"Beating the Pit Boss black and blue, and setting fire to the Pitts," Throttle said with a pleased look on his face-

"Throwing Limburger out the window," Modo said happily---he suddenly gasped, nearly hitting the breaks in shock. "I don't believe it!"

"What?"

"We forgot the Tower!"

"Huh? What! You mean you didn't torch it!" Vinnie said in complete surprise.

"I had some other stuff on my mind!" Modo defended.

Throttle smiled. "Oh, I think we can fix that." Fifteen minutes later, Limburger's Tower fell in fine style, their lasers and Vinnie's flares carving a well known Martian limerick into the foundation stones and melting them to gritty mush. As it went down, Charley started singing, "Ohhh, thiz fire izzoutta controllll, we gonna burn thiz citiez, burn thiz citiez!" Vincent couldn't stop laughing in delight as she sang completely off key, making his caterwauling sound almost decent.

They headed back to the garage after that, the human girl falling deeply asleep as they rode. Andy and Silva were already outside to greet them as they rolled in, the first aid kit and other supplies out and waiting. Throttle settled Charley on the couch, Andy clucking over her.

The site of the young mouse girl standing beside Modo brought tears to Silva's eyes. "Auri? Merciful Kusha, you're alive? Oh, my darlin'-girl!" Both embraced with absolute joy, happy tears flowing. Antennae began to glow as they held each other, but Throttle called over to them.

"As much as I love happy reunions, this isn't the safest place to do it. We need to get to the scoreboard and set the girls up there. Bros, grab what we need and let's move out."

Within the hour they had everything they needed at the board, with Andy cooking up dinner. Vinnie insisted on a shower to scrub off the air Karbunkle had breathed on him, while Throttle settled Charley down to rest in his hammock. The tan mouse frowned to himself. He'd have to sleep on the couch; there wasn't enough room for them together. There'd be plenty if they were in her bed, he thought. Not for the first time, he wondered if he shouldn't move in with Charley. He shook his head and put the idea away for the time being. It was a moot point anyway with the garage shot up. It would be weeks before they could finish the repairs.

Modo took Silva and Auri on a quick tour of the place, and finally found a quiet spot on the catwalk for them to catch up on everything. Modo held his mate tight as he learned what happened that day so long ago. Carn had taken her deep into Sand Raider territory and sold her to the Plutarkians slavers. She had been taken to a mansion on Plutark itself and forced to serve as a maid. And for defying her master's orders to help punish a fellow slave, he had wrapped a force-whip around her throat and destroyed her voice-box. She would be mute for the rest of her life.

Andy called them all back for supper, the conversation pretty lively as they caught up with everything that went on. Auri had blushed shyly as she'd been introduced to the kind man, and he was absolutely charmed by the sweet girl. Silva was ecstatic to have her daughter-in-law back, and was already hinting about her future grandchildren. (Modo and Auri were both blushing bright red at that point.)

It was the mention of grandchildren that made Chef Andy turn to Silva. "So when are we going to Vegas? It should be as soon as Charley recovers, I think. As much as I know she'll want to stay and work on the garage, we'll definitely need her help to pull off something this big."

"Oh, I think we can convince her pretty easily to help," Silva said, shaking her head.

Everyone else simply stared in consternation at the two. "Vegas?" Throttle asked, his shades sliding down his nose in surprise.

"Cheese, Andy my man, you move fast," Vinnie said approvingly.

"Hey now, don't you two think you should get to know each other a bit better first?" Modo asked, a little panicky. "I mean, Momma, you don't even know his middle name."

"Its Joseph, and I don't see how that has anything to do with this," Silva said in confusion.

Andy nodded, "We have more important things to worry about. Like how are we going to get there?"

"Transporter?" She asked hopefully. "I really don't feel like flying in another ship, plane or otherwise."

"They sent the Tower down, so the transporter is out of commission," he reminded her. "Not to mention, we couldn't get plane tickets with that bike expo-thing going on anyway. No doubt every hotel and rental house is booked too."

"That leaves driving," she said with a firm nod. "The boys will be fine with their bikes, and I'm sure Charley won't want to leave her bike behind."

"We'll need to travel light so the motorcycles are the best way to go," he agreed. "But to pack the stuff we'll need, we'll definitely need a trailer."

"Rental?"

"Oh, no need for that, I have an old Airstream RV. Put some decent armor plating on the walls and you've got your own personal tank right there."

"Wonderful!" She exclaimed. "This should work just fine."

"Whoa you two, just how rowdy are you gonna get on your honeymoon?" Vinnie asked gleefully. "Vegas is a party town all on its own, I don't think you'll need a tank."

Both of the elders turned a look of complete confusion on the white mouse. "What?" Silva asked blankly.

"Who said anything about getting married?" Andy asked.

"Mr. Steinhaur, just what exactly are your intentions towards my mother then?" Modo asked in a dangerous voice.

"Not marriage!" The man exclaimed. "For god's sake, we just met two weeks ago!"

A loud piercing whistle pierced the cacophony, making everyone cover their ears. Throttle straightened his glasses back on his face before turning to Andy and Silva. "Alright, everybody calm down. Now, if you two aren't headed out to the shot-gun wedding capitol of planet Earth to get married, would one of you please explain why you're going to Vegas?"

Both of them blinked at him in surprise. "Charley didn't tell you?" Silva asked. The two shared a worried look as Throttle shook his head. They quickly relayed the events of the Las Vegas tournament, and how three Martian Mice had been completely exposed on live television. The room was silent for a moment, even Vinnie going quiet. (Mostly he was fuming with anger that he hadn't thought to try out for the tournament as soon as he'd heard of it.)

Throttle stared at the two. "So you're telling me that three Martian Mice crashed a motorcycle tournament in the middle of downtown _**Las Vegas**_?"

Andy nodded.

"An _**internationally live broadcast**_ event?"

He nodded.

"And they took their helmets _**off?"**_

He nodded again.

"And no one knows how they got there?"

"They didn't mention anything about a crash," the human said nervously as Throttle's left eye began to twitch behind his specks.

"So they used a transporter, which means the Plutarkians are involved somehow. And then some girls that no one knows about make up some kind of excuse about a hotel's stunt show gone wrong and just walk them off stage?"

"That's the long and short of it," Andy said.

"They won first place too," Silva said with a touch of maternal pride in her voice. "Beat out everyone else that had time to study the course."

"That's my nephew," Modo said proudly.

"And somehow, there's been no other news about them?" Throttle said in growing irritation as the older mouse and human shook their heads.

"Well, bro," Vinnie said with a shrug. "I guess no news is good news?"

Throttle took a deep breath to calm down. He then launched a sweet left hook and got right into it with Vinnie, Modo joining the fray to not be left out. Auri shook her head in exasperation at her mate and his bros, while Silva and Andy found a smile. Not long after that, the boys untangled, beds were made up and assigned, and everyone finally got some sleep after a very exhausting day.


	10. Chapter 10

Shameless plugging again goes to Sewer Slider's Vagabonds stories. Part three has the mice on earth, Vinnie with Carbine, and they've just now met Charley. I love it, and i know you guys would too! Go read!!

Oh, and there is a lemon portion written for Auri and Modo. (C'mon, if anyone on this show deserves to get laid, its Modo. He does so much and never once in the history of the show, both series!, gets a girl.) If you would like to read it, please say so in the review with your email address and I'll mail it to you.

Disclaimer: I don't own BMFM, or any characters from the show. Everyone else in this fic are of my own imagination. You can use them if you ask politely.

Chapter 10

Andy stirred from his spot on the recliner as a noise reached his ears. He frowned to himself as he checked his watch. Who in god's name was up at this ugly hour? He looked around. None of the others were awake, Vinnie snoring away. But the sight of an empty hammock swaying made him pause. An engine revved softly, and the man rose quickly to see who was up. He headed down to the small garage the boys had built to house their beloved bikes, not surprised to see Charley standing near them.

She swayed a bit on her feet, still not completely recovered from the gas. Lil' Hoss beeped worriedly at her, the other two bikes echoing the sentiment. They rolled close to her, rubbing their front fenders against her in affection. She gave each bike a loving pat, leaning against Throttle's as a dizzy spell nearly toppled her over. "Hey, girls, you all okay?"

They gave soft chirps and beeps of acknowledgment, the overall tone turning to a worried sound for her. She smiled, "I'll be alright, just not too steady on my feet. So I need a favor. Can someone take me to the garage?"

Lil' Hoss's beep sounded like a question.

"I just need to get there. I need to see how bad the damage is. I..." she sighed. "It's my home, girls. I need to go home."

Throttle's bike revved. Charley gripped the handle bars as she sat on the brown leather seat, leaning forward to run a hand along the black crank case. "Thanks, hon. Remind me to get you a new coat of wax later, okay?" It beeped happily at her as it rolled out onto the road. Lil' Hoss and Vinnie's racer almost looked like they were exchanging glances as the tail lights faded away.

"What is she doing?"

Andy clutched his chest as Throttle spoke, swatting the mouse on the arm. "Damn it, boy, don't do that to me!"

"Sorry. But any idea where she's going?"

"Home," the man said. "Where else would she go?"

Throttle shook his head, taking the stairs down to the bikes. "I'll get her; you go on back to sleep."

"Alright then. Take care, son," Andy called.

Throttle didn't show it, but he nearly stumbled at the man's words. "I-I will, sir." He glanced back as Andy left for bed. He knew the human considered Charley as family, but it sounded like he was willing to think of Throttle as kin too. That honestly surprised him. _Just how exactly do human families work? Is it really so easy to accept someone as clan?_ He put the thought away as he approached the other two bikes. "Anyone mind giving me a ride?"

Both bikes revved.

&&&&&&&&

_The ruins of the Last Chance Garage_

Throttle pulled up beside his bike, wincing a bit at the sight of the familiar home laying in ruins. He knew far too well what it was like to see your home destroyed. The mouse quietly walked through the ruined garage doors, bits of glass and brick crunching under his boots. He found her in the upstairs rooms, the clear night sky showing through the partially collapsed roof. She stood completely still in the middle of her bedroom, a piece of concrete clenched in her hand.

"Charley-girl?"

She slowly turned to face him, scrubbing any remaining tears off with the back of her hand. She forced a smile. "Hey, gold and fuzzy, what brings you out here tonight?"

"Oh, just checking the scenery. And you?"

"Just checking the scenery," she said. Her grip on the stone got tighter.

Throttle walked up behind her, putting his arms around her waist and pulling her close. "I know it'll take some time, but we can rebuild"---

"How do you do it?" She interrupted.

"Huh?"

"How do you do it?" She asked, her voice tightening in the effort to not cry again. She didn't want to look weak to him, not now. Damn it. "How do you stand to see homes destroyed and not just burn up with anger? How can you still smile? Still laugh? H-How"-she stopped, unable to keep talking. Her grip was now tight enough to force the rock to cut into her hand.

Throttle turned her in his arms so that she faced him. He took her hand, uncurled her fingers from the stone, and pressed her close. "You smile to prove they haven't beaten you. You laugh to prove they haven't broken you." He tilted her chin up so that she looked him in the eyes. "You let the anger go, or you drown in it. And then you go out and bring down the Tower for stress relief."

She couldn't help her burst of laughter. "Stress relief?"

"Exactly. See, I told you I worked through anger management."

She kept laughing as she returned his embrace. "I'll have to try that as soon as the new Tower gets built. I call dibs, okay?"

"I'll let Vinnie and Modo know," he said with a smile. The remains of tears still shone in her eyes. He couldn't stand to see her hurting like that. He kissed her deeply, enough so that both of them were dizzy. He had to catch his breath before he could talk again. "We can rebuild, Charley-girl. Me and the bros will make this place good as new."

She nodded. "I know we will. It'll almost break the bank on me but we can do it."

He frowned. "Let me see if I'm not owed some back pay on Mars."

"I can't take your money!"

"Charley, we've been living off your money for almost three years! Let us pay for something for once in our lives," he said in exasperation. "I know it won't be much, but I'm pretty sure we can find a way to change it to Earth currency."

She gave him a pout. "I'd be fine, you know."

The mouse nodded to placate her. She would be beyond broke if she tried to repair the garage on her savings alone. He'd seen her account books. "Yeah, but it'd make Vinnie and Modo feel better."

"And if you think I actually buy that, I've got this pretty fountain down in Florida I could sell you," she said with a smile. She suddenly became serious, her voice going soft. "Thank you."

"For what?" He asked.

She nuzzled into his fur, not wanting to answer his question. "I love you."

"Love you too," he said. They held each other for a long moment, a little bit of peace finding them again. "Ready to go back to the board?"

"Sure," she said, taking his hand as they walked. His hand was so warm. _He's not leaving,_ she found herself thinking. Jack left, but her mouse was still here, willing to help her rebuild. Suddenly it wasn't so bad, everything that had happened. She could get through this. "Home is where the heart is, right? So let's go."

_*&*&*&*&At the Scoreboard*&*&*&*_

Modo smiled from his place on the bed as he curled around his mate. His golden girl, his beautiful Auri. Her head lay on his chest, her side pressed to his with their legs and tails entwined. She snuggled closer to him in her sleep, making a tiny noise of contentment. The grey mouse felt his heart swell until he thought it might burst with love. He never thought he'd have her with him again in this lifetime.

Modo nuzzled his jaw against her head, a quiet hum of joy sounding in his throat. They were together, and nothing was going to come between him and his girl again. He would make sure of it.

It had been so long since he'd held her in his arms. His arms. He sent a worried look to his metal arm. She had seemed to accept it, but he still worried. As far as he was concerned, it still reeked of Karbunkle somehow, despite all these years. He didn't want to touch his girl with something so tainted. He tried to shift so that she wouldn't be near it, unintentionally waking her.

Amber eyes slowly blinked open as she stirred. Auri smiled at her blushing mate as he swiftly made his apologies. "I'm sorry, darlin', didn't mean to wake ya. Go on back to sleep, honey."

She caught his motion of trying to unobtrusively move his metal arm, giving him a curious look. "Its nothin', really." She reached out and took his metal hand in her own, a sterner look on her face now. She knew, just knew, that he was trying to keep his arm from her. It was ridiculous. This arm, flesh or not, was part of him. And she loved him, not just the pretty parts, but all of him.

He looked away from her, not able to meet her eyes as she held the cybernetic limb. If he thought it was ugly, she would surely think it was hideous. "I know its not the best lookin' part of me. I'm sorry you had to come back to freak of a mate."

Auri's jaw dropped in surprise at the tone of his voice. It was filled with shame, even self-loathing. She cupped his cheek with her other hand, kissing him softly. Gods, what she wouldn't give to have her voice back. As soon as she was able, she would hurry to learn and teach Modo that sign language Silva had talked about. She needed to talk to her mate. For now, she would have to use actions to say what she needed to say.

She sat up in the bed, brushing the sheets aside as she pulled him up with her. Modo looked at her with a frown of concern. "What is it, darlin'?" She just smiled and leaned forward, kissing the side of his neck. He felt an embarrassed smile spread across his face as he tilted his head to allow her greater access. But when she moved to his right side, her kisses dropping lower, he almost moved to stop her. Her mouth brushed against the last bit of fur on his shoulder, and to his total surprise, moved down to kiss the cold metal of his arm.

"Auri?" he said in confusion. "Wha--what are you doin'?"

She continued on, kissing the square metal plating, lifting up his limb to kiss the joint of his elbow. His arm shook a bit as she left licks and presses of her lips on the spot of his cannons, turning his arm over to the inside of the wrist joint. Modo had no feeling in his cybernetic arm whatsoever, but for a minute there he would have sworn he could feel her breath against the metal. He stared in wonder as she kissed the wires and steel, from the wrist to the palm, to the very tips of his fingers.

It suddenly hit him what she was really doing, what she was trying to say. He felt tears build behind his eye. "I love you," he said softly, emotion making his voice thick. He cupped her cheek in his flesh hand, reveling in the feel of her silken fur. "My golden girl, my darlin' one. Thank you."

She moved closer to him, so that she could tuck her head over his heart. Her smile brought one of his own. The bed creaked as he made to pull her further up--

"For the love of the gods, you two, will ya cut out the mush and let the rest of us get some sleep?!" came a voice from the vicinity of Vinnie's hammock.

Both lovers blushed bright red, having completely forgotten where they were. "Um, sorry?"

"Yeah, yeah, shut up." The sound of body rolling over to go back to sleep was all they heard after that.

_*&*&**&The Garage, late the next afternoon*&*&&**&_

Charlene Davidson smiled as she regarded her newest creation, wiping away some sweat from her forehead and leaving a small smudge of dirt. Andy had donated his trailer to helping them get to Las Vegas, but a serious overhaul had been needed. So Charley had gotten to work. Taking parts from the ship that had brought her bros to earth, the Thunderpipe, she had made a brand new battle cruiser for them.

The Airstream trailer had been reinforced with some of the Thunderpipe's exterior paneling for armor and refinished to look seamless. And in honor of the Thunderpipe, her tragically short life, and generous donation to the cause, Charley had painted the traditionally silver Airstream a deep cherry red. Andy was now in the process of adding his own touch to his beloved trailer.

The regular door had been replaced with the ship's, including the sophisticated lock system. Salvaged turret lasers from Limburger's previous towers were discreetly tucked away on the roof and remote controlled from the dashboard of the tow truck. The framework had been triple reinforced and completely rewired.

The interior had been redone as well. The traditional cab had been extended by ten feet to give their large group extra room. Three extra bunks had been put in, since it was still too cold for proper camping, bringing the total to five. A bigger 'fridge had been put in, fully stocked for the trip. It was as ready as she and her conscripted pit crew (Silva and the boys) could manage in 18 hours. The mechanic couldn't help her pleased expression as she looked at it.

Her expression twitched as she heard Vinnie and Modo arguing in the remains of her kitchen. The white mouse had been campaigning loudly for a side-trip (or five), almost out-right begging for the chance to go to Jellystone Park. Not Yellowstone, but Jellystone, home of Yogi Bear. Modo was currently trying to convince him that there was no such place despite the brochures.

It didn't matter anyway. Throttle had the entire route planned out with help from Charley and Andy. If they drove in shifts, they could be there in less than forty hours. It would take them through five states, but it was the most direct route.

Silva and Auri had refused to be left behind, and were eager to help drive and explore more of Earth than any Martian had ever seen before. Silva was actually looking forward to firing some of the trailer's lasers. Auri had signed to the lady that they were all hers. Charley had checked out some books from the city library to teach the group how to sign. Auri had been eagerly practicing along with Modo, their first real conversation in six years.

The repairs to the garage would have to wait. While most of the rubble had been cleared out, the most they had time to do was to cover the worst holes with tarp. Everything would be on hold until they got back. Throttle had put in a call to the mayor to be sure that Limburger couldn't declare it condemned. The mayor had agreed, promising that he would keep a regular patrol in the area to keep thieves and such away from it. The mouse didn't put too much stock in that, despite the man's good intentions. So he called on Manuelo and Four-by to make a regular check-up of the garage. The two had agreed, promising to do what they could in the meantime to help with the repairs.

All in all, things were going well to prepare for a trip into possible disaster. If the government caught wind of the Martians at all, it could be a complete nightmare. Charley felt herself go cold at the thought of any scientist getting their hands on her mice. The girl tried to reassure herself. They had faced mutants, monsters, hunters, and war criminals. They had gone up against the Scum of the Universe, for pete's sake! It would be positively embarrassing if some men in black caught them now.

A sudden ruckus of argument and laughter distracted her from her thoughts and made her move over to the other side of the ship. Her jaw dropped at what Andy had painted in lovely scroll-work on the side of his trailer. Silva and Vinnie were laughing, Modo looked completely dumbfounded at the pure audacity of the human, and Throttle was arguing vehemently for the man to change it.

"For the love of the gods, Chef Andy, you cannot paint '_**The Mothership' **_on our battle cruiser!"

Five hours after the mice had rolled out with the Mothership not far behind, (Throttle was still fuming), a call came in for the garage. Since no one was home, it was switched over to the answering machine. The caller ID listed long distance, a private line from Las Vegas.

_"Hi, Miss Charley? Can you leave a message for Uncle Modo for me? Um, we kind of 'ported in to Earth, Las Vegas actually, and we did something...not specifically good. I can explain everything, so he really needs to stop Uncle Throttle from killing me. Because we're gonna need their help. We ran into the local Plutarkians, and things are going to hell real quick. Our address is"_--(BEEP)

The machine was out of message space.

This ends the Momma Comes Home arc of the story. Next up is Shattered Repaired Renewed: Brothers. Hope you like how this story went, and that you'll read my next one too!


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